A writer's journey...

Writing a book takes a lot of time. Make sure to play along the way! As writers, we have so much on our to-do lists, and as professional authors, we have even more. The last post touched on just twelve tips that lead to self-publishing success, but there are so many other things involved. And implementing those twelve tips are time-consuming. (See post: 12 Things You Need to Know for Self-Publishing Success .) So how do you find time to take care of life’s other responsibilities as well as find time to play? You add it to your calendar! That sounds easy, but it can be a lot trickier adhering to it! But just like you schedule time for writing, you should allocate time for other aspects of your life as well. And play is very important. I think in today’s world where indie authors are encouraged to produce, produce, produce, it’s too easy to get caught up on the hamster wheel thinking that all sales will stop if we don’t have a new book out every two months. Isn’t it b...

Navigate the world of self-publishing successfully by applying just 12 tips of the trade. Self-publishing is both rewarding and challenging—and has no guarantees of success. There are so many books flooding the market these days, and authors need to have a strong game plan more than ever before. The following tips, though not a comprehensive list, are some things to focus on to give yourself a better chance of self-publishing success. 1. Effective immediately: Eliminate the word hobby from your vocabulary. Successful authors view writing as a career. Before I made a single cent with my writing, I would take offense when anyone called my writing a hobby. It’s important you take your writing seriously and view publishing as a business because that’s what it truly is. Not only does this require the right mindset, it demands dedication and consistency.   2. Schedule your time. We all have twenty-four hours in a day, and we have many roles we play, along with ...

Love your book come edit time Most authors don't ever want to see "their baby" again by the time it's published. They've read it, revised it, and rewritten parts it more times than they care to count. What if I told you the process could be a little easier?  Why not take a proactive approach? Here are 5 steps to make editing easier from the first draft: 1) Research before you write your book. This can be forensics, procedure, weapons--basically anything that pertains to your story. 2) Outline. Now if you're more of a panster you might balk at this, but at this point, I see value in at least setting out with a rough outline. If you don't want to do this from the start, as the story gets going, jot out future scenes. The benefit to this is logical progression. I have learned this lesson the hard way and it resulted in more intensive edits and rewrites. 3) Write when you're alert and sober. Writing is a business. Would you ever show u...

You’ve finished your first draft and now it’s time to really get to work. The “play” time of creating a story and following along with your characters has ended—or has it? Like everything else, editing is about mindset. Do you look at it as a dredging task or do you focus on the shining gem your manuscript will be when you finish? Do you get weighed down analyzing word play (sentence structure, for example) or do you realize how you’re sharpening your manuscript? See, there are two ways of looking at a situation. If you view editing as a tedious necessity, it’s pretty safe to surmise that you don’t enjoy the process. Unfortunately, this is going to reflect in the end product. You’ll take shortcuts. You’ll declare something as finished just because you don’t want to look at it again. But what if you were to think about the end result instead of the process to get there? What if you accepted editing as a necessary step in making your book marketable, in getting it into the ...

When you tap into the creative side and the words pour out of you, it's euphoric —it's what I term "falling into the rabbit hole"—and it's even more magical than  Alice in Wonderland .   It's a kind of rush you can't get enough of and it seems it's something you can never truly prepare yourself for—or can you? Maybe you've been struggling with a manuscript or it's just finding the time to write. Maybe you're not sure about what comes next and you procrastinate to the point you haven't written in days. Part of you might feel like crawling under a rock and proclaiming your work in progress stalled to the point that you hide behind "writer's block."  I'm here to tell you there's no such thing as "writer's block," per se, it's another procrastination excuse invented by writers. Of course, there are times that things come up in our writing that leave us wondering what the next step should be...

Have you ever read a book and noticed that a certain character acted differently than you would have expected? Did it throw you out of the story? While most of us follow a somewhat predictable path in regards to our habits and response to repetitive situations, life events have the power to alter our reaction. When it comes to fictional characters, I always defer to real life. Have you, or anyone you know well reacted differently to a situation than you would have thought? I am certain you can think of many instances. Personally, two weeks ago, I took off last minute to see my sister who lives four and half hours away by car. I took the train adding about two hours to the journey with layovers, et cetera. But this isn’t something my husband or she ever saw coming. I’m usually a bit of a planner. I don’t typically travel alone. These are just two aspects of my personality that don’t “allow” for me to just drop everything and go. So, must characters in our books be any...

For the last number of weeks I’ve been discussing different ways to establish solid scenes. The last thing we want is for our readers to be wandering aimlessly through our story trying to figure out where they are. In fact that’s one way to lose readers fast. So in conclusion, setting scenes effectively is crucial.  We want to ensure that our readers are aware of whose point of view they’re in, location, and that we give them visceral responses by using at least some of the five senses.  However, there is one area we haven’t fully explored--purpose. If your book is going to flow properly, making every word count, then each scene will need to be there. Every one will have a reason for inclusion, otherwise, it will slow down the pacing and our readers will skim. How do we define purpose when it comes to scenes? Ask yourself if the passage is required for character development or to advance the plot. If your answer is no to both, or you’re hesitant to answer, it qu...

You’ve likely heard of Scrivener, whether you’re using it, a friend is, or the name just sounds familiar.   Let me tell you a little bit about it.   Whether you’re an author who plots, or goes by the seat of your pants, there are tools within the Scrivener program that can make your life easier.  The program allows you to manage everything that goes into completing a book in one spot.  You can keep your research notes there, link to online sites, keep folders on characters (in whatever detail you desire), you can make notes as you go along, you can create scenes and re-order as many times as you see fit, you can import a written story, or start fresh.  The program is designed to work with you and for you with great flexibility. It makes it easy for the author who doesn’t write in order. Maybe you have the perfect idea for a scene and the words are coming to you, write them in a folder named to describe the scene. You can easily rearrange the order o...

As human beings we have been gifted with five main senses of touch, taste, sight, hearing, and smell. We live in a world of color and textures that lift us up and feed our souls. Maybe you’re wondering how this ties into our writing? While it true that our work is fictional, as authors we do the best we can to make everything authentic. Even if you are a science fiction author, you would spring from elements taken in real life. Comparisons of some sort are required to establish setting and context. So how we create a rich tapestry that takes our readers from being a spectator to our story to feeling like they are a part of it?  One huge aspect of this is setting. Are you utilizing the five senses in your writing? Of course, it’s not logical or necessary to include all five senses in each and every scene. You definitely wouldn’t want to rhyme off the attributes as a laundry list of sorts. You will find as you hone your skill you’ll be able to paint a comprehensive sce...

Characters and plot are equally important to creating a world for our readers to escape into. Breaking down the plot, we realize it consists of many scenes that make up the collective as a whole. How can we effectively establish solid scenes? There are a few ways and I’ll be discussing them on this blog over the next few weeks. I’m not claiming that this list is complete, but it will provide a good point of reference. Here are the topics I’ll cover: -           POV Character . Make sure the reader knows whose point of view they are in immediately and stick with them. -           Location . What are your characters doing in the scene? Set this up early on. -           Colorful Descriptions by utilizing the 5 senses -       Purpose . Ensure that every scene is intrinsic to making a difference to the character or outwo...

As authors, our first love was probably reading. The fact that we were able to escape into a world of the author's imagination fascinated us. It motivated us to the point we thought 'I can do this'. The process began. Your passion for reading transformed into a love of writing. You wanted to the be the one who created the worlds, the characters, who swept away readers into a place of your imagination where they could escape reality for a while.  Then you got published. It's true, it takes a lot of time to keep up in today's publishing industry. To stand out and be noticed takes more effort than ever before.  You've got your blog, your website, your online media presence--it all takes time. And that's not even counting the time we need to focus on our writing, editing, and formatting (if we do this ourselves). On top of this, we all have lives and other responsibilities. Where does reading rate with you these days? I cannot stress the i...

It's ironic how as authors we can be terrified of our own books. Sometimes the fear comes before we've even set ink to paper, or fingers to keyboard. Maybe it's our first book, or maybe it's our fifth. It doesn't matter. There can always be a bit of apprehension with any new project...but even more so when you're starting out with your first book, or a new genre to you. You wonder whether you should just dive on in, or if you should outline. Know this is a personal decision and you have to go with what works best for you. Typically you have been granted with the image of a scene, a character, or dialogue--maybe all three--and you know you have to write the book. Don't get weighed down in concerns, just write.  I know some authors who don't even write their books in chronological order. Scenes hit them and they write them. They fill in the book as they go along. (The thought of that scares me, but it's what works for them.) Some authors...

The above-noted advice came from a traditionally-published author who was a panel at the Bouchercon Convention. As writers, that's our goal, is it not?  We want to write, not just an okay novel, but a "damn good" one.  But, it might not be as easy as it sounds. After all, we have a lot to balance--a personal life, domestic responsibilities, secular obligations, and the list goes on. With all of this encroaching in on us, how are we supposed to find the time to dedicate to our next great novel? As career-minded writers, from the beginning it is impressed upon us that we need to have an active Twitter account, a blog, a website, an online presence that extends to Facebook, Linkedin, Google+, Pinterest...am I missing any? But the advice received from this panel was to focus, first, on the writing. Other comments added were, 'if you're not a blogger, don't blog', 'if you don't like Twitter, don't tweet'.  You get the point. The ultimat...

To survive, you must tell stories. -- Umberto Eco Do you feel like you were meant  to be a writer? If so, you're not alone. I feel exactly the same way. I can't imagine being without my words to paper. There is something therapeutic about it, a calming energy that tamps down worries from my real life, and even if it's only for a brief time I escape into the world I'm creating. People who are not writers may not understand this need, this drive, this inner compulsion to keep on writing, to build new worlds, to meet new characters of their own creation. While readers get attached to the characters they read about, and they take on a life to them (if the author has done their job right), as authors these characters are breathing entities of whom we can't get enough of. There's always a book idea, or many, brewing in our minds. Characters who need their story told and won't take no for an answer.  It can be said as authors we hear voices. I know I ...

Lividity, also known as livor mortis, is the result of blood settling where a dead body comes to rest. It can play a vital role in a murder investigation and provide investigators with an approximate time of death. Here are some questions and answers I’ve gleamed from my research. What does it look like? It presents itself as a purplish discoloration on the skin. Where does it form? The blood settles in response to gravity. For example, if the body is lying on its back it will undoubtedly show in the shoulders and back of the legs. What prevents lividity from showing? It will not show where the body is in direct contact with a hard surface but “the impression against the skin displays itself as an indentation surrounded by gravity-pulled blood”. When does lividity start? It starts within 20 minutes of death and typically fully develops within 4-5 hours. “Maximum lividity occurs within 6-12 hours.” Does lividity disappear? It depends on the condition o...

We’ve all heard of the phrase ‘murder our darlings’, well, as authors, we should be doing it all the time. Being a successful author involves meticulous self-scrutiny, discipline, and sacrifice. One of our goals should be  to make it so that our readers don’t skip a word. Sound like an impossible feat? Well, it’s a great one to strive for in my opinion. How do you know what to cut? Here's a quick to-cut checklist: 1) Re-read the sentence in question without the eliminated words. Does it change the meaning? If not, lose it. You just tightened your manuscript. 2) Eliminate “crutch” words. We all have our favored ones, but some could be just, only, that, simply, smirk (please kill this one unless necessary), walked, looked, and stared to name a few. 3) Is something inferred, or implied? Then it might not be necessary to mention it. For example, one character says something and the next to talk disregards what was said. There is no need to make a com...

When we pick up a good book, we escape into it. Our own world, our problems, our stresses fade to the background. Our concerns transfer to the character, what they undergoing and how they will overcome their situation. Very rarely do we even consider the author who created these people, or how their life experience factored into what we are reading. Then there are others of us who want to know about the person behind the book. For some a picture and a brief biography will suffice, but others want to know their favorite author more intimately. At great expense, they follow them to book signings, and/or writer’s conventions. Do these authors let it go their head? I found in my experience at Bouchercon that even among some of the larger names out there, they were very sweet and down to earth people. They were willing to let others into their life whether it be by sharing their experience, or telling us what they typically do on a Sunday morning. I found this level of intimacy, or...

This year has included a lot of firsts for me. One of them was attending the writer’s conference, Bouchercon , in Albany, NY. They hold this event every year, in different locations. What had started off as uncertainty--I was going with an author friend I hardly knew, and leaving my husband (and dogs) for five days--quickly transformed into what was the next logical step for my growth as a professional author. As authors, one of our strengths is observation and I learned a lot just through listening and studying other people. I took “notes” from other authors who have met great success in the publishing industry. I was able to meet and interact with avid readers, in person, and get feedback as to what they look for in a book. I had discussions with corporate chain book buyers and independent bookstore owners.  These perspectives have melded to provide an overall solid picture of the business. I brought home with me all of this and more. (I’m not even going to get in...