Piggybacking on yesterday's post, I thought I'd offer up some resources for the plotter. (You pantsers are on your own. I have no idea how your brain works, so I don't understand what kind of resources you'd want. Well, I can at least direct you toward Bad Ass Coffee and Gentleman Jack, because I'm pretty sure you all drink a lot of coffee and a lot of booze, but that's it.)
Brainstorming is an excellent way to begin work on your novel. Or novella, or novelette, or short story, or comic book, or whatever. Have a seat, pull up a cup of coffee or a glass of whiskey (or a cup of coffee made with whiskey), and just start writing things down. Character names. Settings. Bits of dialogue. Events. Worry about making it coherent later. For now, just write.
Personally, I am a fan of what I have recently discovered is called the "snowflake method." (I use it in conjunction with outlining.) Start with one sentence, then one paragraph, then one page. Keep building until you have what you want. I keep the original single sentences to help me keep my focus. Whenever I feel like I'm losing sight of the point of whatever scene I'm writing, I refer back to that single sentence. As a bonus, by the time I'm done, the summaries are already written.
Plot points are another way to go. These can be written on index cards and then rearranged until you have a progressive, cohesive plot progression. If you don't want to use index cards, a spreadsheet or possibly FreeMind might work well.
Remember outlines from school papers? Of course you do. Those suckers are useful. I love outlining. I break out the college-rule notebook paper and a bunch of colored pens and I scribble until I have several pages of bare bones storytelling.
Quick Google searches for phrases like "how to plot a novel" and "how to write a novel" will return a wealth of sites, posts, and book suggestions. Wade through them if you must (if you're stuck, it certainly may help to see how other writers plot) but remember that no one knows how you write better than you do. Go with your own instincts.
Or scoot on over to Terrible Minds and pick one of Chuck Wendig's 25 suggestions.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
On Writing: Pants or Plots or Both, Oh My!
There are two types of writers: pantsers and plotters.
Pantsers sit down and start writing. They may have an idea for a story, they may even have some kind of plan for it, or characters or a setting or situations or a line of dialogue or something, but for the most part, they write like they fly: by the seat of their pants.
Plotters don't sit down to write until they've finished plotting. They have an idea, a plan, characters, settings, situations, dialogue, an outline. These people probably map out their road trips and stick to itineraries and only shop with grocery lists. Dweebs.
I'm a plotter.
Each method has its merits. Pantsers get all the excitement of being a reader with all the power of being God. Plotters don't end up in the ER with heart palpitations because some new character popped out of the snow and scared them into a heart attack. Each method has drawbacks. Pantsers don't always know when and where to end a story and plotters get sick-to-death of the painstaking attention to minutiae required from the very beginning.
Of course, most writers probably incorporate a little of both into how they write. Pantsers start off with vague ideas of what happens when and to whom and plotters allow new characters and situations they didn't originally plan for.
Regardless of what type of writer you are, you absolutely must have a clear idea of the story you're telling. If you don't know what you're trying to say, your writing won't be clear. If your writing isn't clear, your readers end up confused. Confused readers are unhappy readers. Unhappy readers are not regular readers.
You probably want regular readers.
One thing to keep in mind is that clarity of prose can be achieved in editing. So write, and be as messy and verbose as you need to be, but always always write toward the point.
And always edit.
Pantsers sit down and start writing. They may have an idea for a story, they may even have some kind of plan for it, or characters or a setting or situations or a line of dialogue or something, but for the most part, they write like they fly: by the seat of their pants.
Plotters don't sit down to write until they've finished plotting. They have an idea, a plan, characters, settings, situations, dialogue, an outline. These people probably map out their road trips and stick to itineraries and only shop with grocery lists. Dweebs.
I'm a plotter.
Each method has its merits. Pantsers get all the excitement of being a reader with all the power of being God. Plotters don't end up in the ER with heart palpitations because some new character popped out of the snow and scared them into a heart attack. Each method has drawbacks. Pantsers don't always know when and where to end a story and plotters get sick-to-death of the painstaking attention to minutiae required from the very beginning.
Of course, most writers probably incorporate a little of both into how they write. Pantsers start off with vague ideas of what happens when and to whom and plotters allow new characters and situations they didn't originally plan for.
Regardless of what type of writer you are, you absolutely must have a clear idea of the story you're telling. If you don't know what you're trying to say, your writing won't be clear. If your writing isn't clear, your readers end up confused. Confused readers are unhappy readers. Unhappy readers are not regular readers.
You probably want regular readers.
One thing to keep in mind is that clarity of prose can be achieved in editing. So write, and be as messy and verbose as you need to be, but always always write toward the point.
And always edit.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Free Alternatives to MS Word
In the years I spent as a student monkey and as a corporate monkey, MS Word was the go-to word processing software. Before that, from when I was about eleven, I used MS Works, or Notepad or WordPad. After my first couple of laptops crashed and died on me, I decided that I needed a cheaper alternative to Word that would still give me more features and better control than Works. I hadn't even started looking for word-processing software when I stumbled across a link for OpenOffice.org.
OpenOffice and LibreOffice are both Mac-compatible. I've never used them on a Mac, but I have a friend (and phenomenal beta reader) who has; she has never reported any problems.
Documents can be saved in Word's .doc and .docx formats and you can create HTML and XML files, which makes them easier to share. You can do almost everything in these programs that you can do in Word, they're free, they're easy to download, and they have tons of excellent reviews. If you're programming-inclined, you can even help to update it.
If you're wanting to self-publish with little-to-no startup cost and you don't have Word already, these programs are worth downloading and learning to use.
I love it. When I did my initial research on self-publishing, I thought that I would have to shell out for a new copy of Word, or at the very least dig out my old copy. But once I carefully read the Smashwords Style Guide and used OpenOffice to implement the instructions successfully, I realized that I didn't need Word at all.
When I format The Cowboy Next Door, I'll be sure to do screenshots so I can share how to format in OpenOffice. It's so easy that I got it right in one try.
There is another free alternative out there called LibreOffice. I've read some good things about it but I haven't switched.
OpenOffice and LibreOffice are both Mac-compatible. I've never used them on a Mac, but I have a friend (and phenomenal beta reader) who has; she has never reported any problems.
Documents can be saved in Word's .doc and .docx formats and you can create HTML and XML files, which makes them easier to share. You can do almost everything in these programs that you can do in Word, they're free, they're easy to download, and they have tons of excellent reviews. If you're programming-inclined, you can even help to update it.
If you're wanting to self-publish with little-to-no startup cost and you don't have Word already, these programs are worth downloading and learning to use.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Self-Publishing: Why And How You Should Start Marketing Yourself First
If you have something to sell, you have to be aggressive about your marketing and promotion. By "aggressive" I don't mean "launch full scale promotion attack on unsuspecting customers," I mean that you have to be proactive, have a plan, and follow through.
So you've decided to self-publish. Good for you! The first thing you need to know is that the astounding successes of Amanda Hocking and John Locke are not the norm. The second thing you need to know is that you are solely responsible for all of your marketing and promotion, so if your book doesn't sell, it's your own fault.
Even before you put out your first book, you need to get your name out there. People need to know who you are and what you're offering. By starting your self-promotion early, you'll also have time for trial and error. You'll be able to learn what works and what doesn't. You'll make connections--and in this business, just as in any other, connections can have a huge impact on your success rate. (It certainly doesn't hurt to make new friends, either.)
I suggest starting with a website, a blog, Twitter, and Facebook.
You need a base of operations. A home. Get a domain name and start your website. I like Intuit's website building software. When I worked as a bookkeeper and staff accountant, I used their bookkeeping software QuickBooks. It was so very user-friendly and they had great customer support, so when I decided to get a website--and knowing that I have zero graphic design skill--I went to them. When I signed up, they had a free trial offer. It looks to still be running. Their prices are reasonable, too. I signed up for a business website (which means I can have a store if I want one, which I do plan for) and privacy protection (because I used my parents' address in the States and I didn't want that information to show up on any WHOIS lookups) and it costs me $21 a month. This may not be reasonable for you; a regular personal website is $4.99 a month, and I believe you can upgrade at any time.
But for the sake of argument, let's say that you don't want to pay anything at all. Which is fine, because there are free alternatives!
Get a blog. Services like Blogger and WordPress even allow you to have separate pages in addition to your blog page, so you can set up a book page, a profile page, or anything you want. I think the main difference between the two is that WordPress is easier to customize, but I'm not sure, I don't have a WordPress. (It's on my to-do list.) You could also use LiveJournal or tumblr. Whichever service you choose, make sure you use it. Blogging is one great way to get your name out there and let people know what you're all about. Visitors and readers turn into customers, or they can turn other people into customers. Here on my blog, I try to offer my visitors things they'll find useful, so I typically blog about writing tips and self-publishing tips, and I point toward other blog posts I think are also useful. I also have a regular Monday Miscellany post, which I use for personal updates and non-writing discussion. Try to define what your blog is about and be consistent, both in content and in posting schedule. Also keep in mind that you're unlikely to be an overnight success. Just work to steadily build your readership.
Become a Twit. Twitter is one of the very best marketing tools on the web right now. It's a fantastic way to share information, interact with colleagues and customers, and show off your personality. Messages are limited to 140 characters, so you're forced to be creative and concise. I love it. But don't only use it for outright marketing and self-promotion. Let your followers get to know you. Interact with other authors, with book reviewers, with bloggers. Really use it.
As much as I hate to admit this, Facebook is important. You probably have a personal profile. I do, despite disliking the site (it's so unsafe) because we live so far from our family and friends and they all want pictures of the baby. I also have a public author page. Just type "create page" into the search bar at the top of the site and go from there. Use it. Update your status, share pictures, share links to your blog posts and to your website and to your book when it's for sale.
If this seems overwhelming, pick one thing at a time, get used to it and get good at it, and then incorporate another site. Eventually, you'll become efficient and proficient.
So you've decided to self-publish. Good for you! The first thing you need to know is that the astounding successes of Amanda Hocking and John Locke are not the norm. The second thing you need to know is that you are solely responsible for all of your marketing and promotion, so if your book doesn't sell, it's your own fault.
Even before you put out your first book, you need to get your name out there. People need to know who you are and what you're offering. By starting your self-promotion early, you'll also have time for trial and error. You'll be able to learn what works and what doesn't. You'll make connections--and in this business, just as in any other, connections can have a huge impact on your success rate. (It certainly doesn't hurt to make new friends, either.)
I suggest starting with a website, a blog, Twitter, and Facebook.
You need a base of operations. A home. Get a domain name and start your website. I like Intuit's website building software. When I worked as a bookkeeper and staff accountant, I used their bookkeeping software QuickBooks. It was so very user-friendly and they had great customer support, so when I decided to get a website--and knowing that I have zero graphic design skill--I went to them. When I signed up, they had a free trial offer. It looks to still be running. Their prices are reasonable, too. I signed up for a business website (which means I can have a store if I want one, which I do plan for) and privacy protection (because I used my parents' address in the States and I didn't want that information to show up on any WHOIS lookups) and it costs me $21 a month. This may not be reasonable for you; a regular personal website is $4.99 a month, and I believe you can upgrade at any time.
But for the sake of argument, let's say that you don't want to pay anything at all. Which is fine, because there are free alternatives!
Get a blog. Services like Blogger and WordPress even allow you to have separate pages in addition to your blog page, so you can set up a book page, a profile page, or anything you want. I think the main difference between the two is that WordPress is easier to customize, but I'm not sure, I don't have a WordPress. (It's on my to-do list.) You could also use LiveJournal or tumblr. Whichever service you choose, make sure you use it. Blogging is one great way to get your name out there and let people know what you're all about. Visitors and readers turn into customers, or they can turn other people into customers. Here on my blog, I try to offer my visitors things they'll find useful, so I typically blog about writing tips and self-publishing tips, and I point toward other blog posts I think are also useful. I also have a regular Monday Miscellany post, which I use for personal updates and non-writing discussion. Try to define what your blog is about and be consistent, both in content and in posting schedule. Also keep in mind that you're unlikely to be an overnight success. Just work to steadily build your readership.
Become a Twit. Twitter is one of the very best marketing tools on the web right now. It's a fantastic way to share information, interact with colleagues and customers, and show off your personality. Messages are limited to 140 characters, so you're forced to be creative and concise. I love it. But don't only use it for outright marketing and self-promotion. Let your followers get to know you. Interact with other authors, with book reviewers, with bloggers. Really use it.
As much as I hate to admit this, Facebook is important. You probably have a personal profile. I do, despite disliking the site (it's so unsafe) because we live so far from our family and friends and they all want pictures of the baby. I also have a public author page. Just type "create page" into the search bar at the top of the site and go from there. Use it. Update your status, share pictures, share links to your blog posts and to your website and to your book when it's for sale.
If this seems overwhelming, pick one thing at a time, get used to it and get good at it, and then incorporate another site. Eventually, you'll become efficient and proficient.
The Cowboy Next Door: "Back Cover" Summary
Last night, I finally drafted the "back cover" summary for The Cowboy Next Door and this morning I polished it. I also discovered that, based on its word count and according to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, it is a novelette.
Lilah Thompson has returned home to Colorado as a Navy widow with an ugly secret. It has been six years since she escaped her parents' expectations and Clay Bradford's hopes. Now, all she wants is to hold it together and bide her time in her father's carpentry workshop until she decides what to do next.
But Clay has other plans. Six years has been time enough as far as he's concerned and Lilah's widowhood is less of an obstacle than she thinks it should be. He wants her back, regardless of her ugly secrets and her aimlessness. He knows exactly what her next move should be.
I expect to be finished and ready to upload within the next two weeks. This is very exciting!The Cowboy Next Door is a romance novelette incorporating a little bit of angst and a little bit of erotica for the enjoyment of adults.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Monday Miscellany
Seeing all the swapping of guest blogging, and submitting questions to author Greta van der Rol for an author interview, has me seriously considering inviting guest bloggers. I can think of four fellow writers I would like to ask, and that's just off the top of my head. I even have vague ideas for what I would like to ask them to blog about. I just lack the courage. I'm sure that one night soon I'll have a couple of drinks and think, "To hell with it! The worst that can happen is they say no!" and I'll shoot off some emails or DMs. Alcoholism is bad, kids. But losing a few of your inhibitions isn't always a bad thing.
My writing goals this week are as follows: I want to finish the final round of pre-beta'd edits of Cowboy, finish the interview questions for my artist friend Kelsey and get those to her, and start the blog post series on self-publishing. I also want to work up a few more elevator pitches and pick out at least two more lines from Cass Gets Her Kicks to make my Twitter promotion slightly more successful. I would really love to see at least one Smashwords book page hit a day. (By the way, coupon code TS42L is good for another three days!)
Setting reasonable goals and taking baby steps are probably my top two tips for being productive.
Speaking of baby steps, my baby took two steps last night. The kid can walk, she just won't. She did the same thing when she was learning to crawl. And when she learned to roll over. She has it so good, what with being carried all over whenever she wants, that I can't really blame her.
Just before bed last night, I tweeted about wanting a vacation. I may queue some posts and take a few days off from the computer in the near future. This morning, I signed up for Hootsuite. Automating promotion-only tweets is, of course, a bad idea, but I'm hoping I can figure out how to use it and automate several days' worth of personal and professional tweets. That way, I won't feel guilty when I do take a few days off.
My writing goals this week are as follows: I want to finish the final round of pre-beta'd edits of Cowboy, finish the interview questions for my artist friend Kelsey and get those to her, and start the blog post series on self-publishing. I also want to work up a few more elevator pitches and pick out at least two more lines from Cass Gets Her Kicks to make my Twitter promotion slightly more successful. I would really love to see at least one Smashwords book page hit a day. (By the way, coupon code TS42L is good for another three days!)
Setting reasonable goals and taking baby steps are probably my top two tips for being productive.
Speaking of baby steps, my baby took two steps last night. The kid can walk, she just won't. She did the same thing when she was learning to crawl. And when she learned to roll over. She has it so good, what with being carried all over whenever she wants, that I can't really blame her.
Just before bed last night, I tweeted about wanting a vacation. I may queue some posts and take a few days off from the computer in the near future. This morning, I signed up for Hootsuite. Automating promotion-only tweets is, of course, a bad idea, but I'm hoping I can figure out how to use it and automate several days' worth of personal and professional tweets. That way, I won't feel guilty when I do take a few days off.
Blog Roundup: September 5 - 11, 2011
This week, I discovered Avery Olive, an author with a name I think is too cool for words. I enjoyed the tips posts on naming characters and editing because I thought they were both concise and useful. Even if you're familiar with the points brought up, it's worth it to revisit the tips in someone else's voice.
I don't know if I've mentioned the Erotic Romance blog before, but it's worth checking out for up-to-date information on the erotic and romance publishing industry/ies. There's no bullshit over there, something I find quite refreshing.
Rik Davnall's post on marketing is worth recommending again. I found it very useful.
I'm a big fan of learning things no one told you. James Killick's post on five things writing experts won't tell you is a good example of why. Particularly the second, third, and fourth things catch me up. In the process of editing chapter one of my current WIP, I found several lines that made me stop and smile because they were just so me. If I always followed the rules, I would have deleted them--and killed any originality I might have.
Rob On Writing's post about being needles in a stack of needles just reinforces what I've been telling myself all week: just keep working. Any day I get over ten blog hits or one hit on my book page at Smashwords is a good day as far as I'm concerned.
Sirra did her post on standard manuscript format! Go read it!
Ciara Ballintyne posted on the etiquette of self-promotion on Twitter. I think her list is more along the lines of things not to do rather than a question of etiquette, but it's worth reading regardless.
I don't know if I've mentioned the Erotic Romance blog before, but it's worth checking out for up-to-date information on the erotic and romance publishing industry/ies. There's no bullshit over there, something I find quite refreshing.
Rik Davnall's post on marketing is worth recommending again. I found it very useful.
I'm a big fan of learning things no one told you. James Killick's post on five things writing experts won't tell you is a good example of why. Particularly the second, third, and fourth things catch me up. In the process of editing chapter one of my current WIP, I found several lines that made me stop and smile because they were just so me. If I always followed the rules, I would have deleted them--and killed any originality I might have.
Rob On Writing's post about being needles in a stack of needles just reinforces what I've been telling myself all week: just keep working. Any day I get over ten blog hits or one hit on my book page at Smashwords is a good day as far as I'm concerned.
Sirra did her post on standard manuscript format! Go read it!
Ciara Ballintyne posted on the etiquette of self-promotion on Twitter. I think her list is more along the lines of things not to do rather than a question of etiquette, but it's worth reading regardless.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
SitRep Saturday: The Cowboy Next Door
All right, I know it's late, but that's not because I've been slacking. I actually have productivity to report.
This week, I finished the first and the cursory second round of edits. Then I got so sick of looking at it that I sent it off to five beta readers. It's with them now, and most of them have promised to have it back by next Friday or so, so now it's a waiting game. I'll do another round of edits on my own before I go over their notes, but we're getting close!
I also have to finish up the "bonus" chapter, write the "back cover" summary, and work up the layout. I'm not too worried. Formatting was kind of a breeze last time (a time-consuming breeze, but a breeze nonetheless) and I made it into the Smashwords premium catalog on my second try.
This week, I finished the first and the cursory second round of edits. Then I got so sick of looking at it that I sent it off to five beta readers. It's with them now, and most of them have promised to have it back by next Friday or so, so now it's a waiting game. I'll do another round of edits on my own before I go over their notes, but we're getting close!
I also have to finish up the "bonus" chapter, write the "back cover" summary, and work up the layout. I'm not too worried. Formatting was kind of a breeze last time (a time-consuming breeze, but a breeze nonetheless) and I made it into the Smashwords premium catalog on my second try.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Free Books!
You know what's awesome about ereaders? Free books! For those of us who have debilitating book-buying habits, being able to download free electronic books is one of the very best things about having an ereader. Well, it is for me. Once a month, I hit up the Kindle Top 100 Free list and I go download-crazy. I have a bunch of books I haven't read yet, but it's nice to have that stockpile. (So I'm preparing for the apocalypse. An apocalypse in which I still have electricity to charge my Kindle.) I don't worry about being stuck with nothing to read.
That might be something I actually worry about. Maybe.
Anyway, there are more places online that offer free books legally.
That might be something I actually worry about. Maybe.
Anyway, there are more places online that offer free books legally.
- Smashwords is a great place to get free original books.
- Have a NOOK? Get your free books at Barnes & Noble.
- Project Gutenberg is the go-to site for free public domain books.
- Feedbooks.com offers both public domain and original free books.
- ManyBooks.net boasts 29,000 free books.
- The sci-fi/fantasy publisher Baen offers some free titles from some of their top authors. (Like Aaron Allston and Elizabeth Moon, huzzah!)
- The Mobile Read forums have a wiki page dedicated to free books where you can find a ton of resources.
You weren't planning to be productive or anything this weekend, were you? I hope not.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Throwing Things In Elevators
An elevator pitch is a concise summary of what you're selling. Everyone from entrepreneurs to potential dates uses them and I've seen them discussed several times by authors talking about self-promotion. In fact, I most recently read about them in this blog post by Rik Davnall.
Self-promotion is something I struggle with. It's not that I don't want to sell copies of my book. I do! I just don't want to annoy people into ignoring me. I've come across so many overly aggressive self-promoters and they don't make me want to buy their books or read their blogs. They make me want to ignore them. So I do. That's not good for them and there's a chance I'm missing out on something great, so it's not good for me, either.
I've been working on my elevator pitches. Especially as I draw closer to finishing my next story, I want to get into the habit of self-promoting. I have no problem tweeting and Facebooking links to my blog posts, and that earned me to 421 hits last month. (I want to make it to 500 this month.) Getting links out there works. When I posted the link to my website on that local classifieds site, I got seventy hits on the ad, ten hits on my site, three hits on my blog, and one book sale. To me, that's not bad. It's a solid start.
But it's just that. A start. I'm in this for the long haul. I have to start implementing what I learn. And that means using elevator pitches.
So far, these are the ones I have for Cass Gets Her Kicks:
Self-promotion is something I struggle with. It's not that I don't want to sell copies of my book. I do! I just don't want to annoy people into ignoring me. I've come across so many overly aggressive self-promoters and they don't make me want to buy their books or read their blogs. They make me want to ignore them. So I do. That's not good for them and there's a chance I'm missing out on something great, so it's not good for me, either.
I've been working on my elevator pitches. Especially as I draw closer to finishing my next story, I want to get into the habit of self-promoting. I have no problem tweeting and Facebooking links to my blog posts, and that earned me to 421 hits last month. (I want to make it to 500 this month.) Getting links out there works. When I posted the link to my website on that local classifieds site, I got seventy hits on the ad, ten hits on my site, three hits on my blog, and one book sale. To me, that's not bad. It's a solid start.
But it's just that. A start. I'm in this for the long haul. I have to start implementing what I learn. And that means using elevator pitches.
So far, these are the ones I have for Cass Gets Her Kicks:
Like road trips? Like classic cars? Like sex? Then you might like Cass Gets Her Kicks. Just 99 cents from [insert bookseller here, followed by link].
Cass Gets Her Kicks received its first five-star review on Smashwords!
Plain old Cass with the widening ass of rapidly-approaching middle age was Cass With the Great Ass to this man-child?They're not bad, but they could be better. And I definitely need more of them.
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