My main concern with writing fiction is keeping ideas fresh and the story exciting. It's all very well from a technical view point to say I can write well - knowing how to use sentence structure and grammar, but it's quite another to say I can dream up and write the most amazing story lines. And unfortunately even if I do employ the best editor to correct the technical issues, plot lines aren't usually their forte. All they could advise is an entire re-write on my part before the story would be ready to publish.
I have to admit that thought terrifies me slightly. I could have all the technical issues absolutely perfect but if the story is centred around an awful plot line, what chance do I have of keeping my reader? Many people say there are thousands of books out there that are written poorly but have a fantastic plot line; that's why they're in the best sellers category. But how many books are there in which the technicalities are brilliant but the stories shocking?
The Writing Book by Kate Grenville, offers some plot line suggestions which I have been reading over and over again. The book suggests that the best types of plot line are the ones which are unexpected so they take the reader by surprise. And seeing as some plot lines are boring and predictable, having the plot take a brilliant twist is probably a lot harder to write than it seems.
The first tip she reveals is to swap the character personality and role. This will take the reader by surprise as they will have become used to the defined characters. However, to give them a complete Jeckyll and Hyde role may come off as unbelievable so make sure you give hints and clues throughout the story of how they will eventually turn out to be.
The second tip is to be ruthless with your characters and have an unexpected death in the book. If a main character should die then it's always shocking and potentially upsetting if they happen to be benevolent. Killing off a nasty villain might not be as effective but if everyone loves this particular character, it may hook the reader into finding out what happens next.
The third one is to be vague with your plot and give it an open ending. This is brilliant when writing a series because the loose ends are left undone so you leave the readers wanting an eventual conclusion - hence the next book.
If you really want to confuse the reader and lure them into a false sense of security, make sure your narrator can't be trusted. Readers are most likely to believe without question the person telling the story, so if the story turns out to be false some where along the line the reader will undoubtedly be surprised.
Can you share some more ways to write sizzling plot lines?
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
What is Your Writing Worth?
Lately it seems like I have been reading an awful lot of comments about writers having an unworthy job. Some people think that just because some writers spend the majority of time at their home writing, indulging in far too much coffee, they are not worthy of having a rich income. Some people see writers as selfish beings who live in a world of fantasy, thinking they're going to become rich and famous because everyone will want to read their books.
Some writers may think like this but I am sure they are in the minority. A lot of writers write despite having a full time job - they write simply because they cannot not write. For some it is just a hobby but I think the majority of writers would love to earn a living from their passion but unfortunately many do not.
But what about those who have writing as a full time career? Do some people honestly think that they do not deserve success just because they don't build houses, save lives or are on a mission to cure AIDS? Even though people in the medical world do a wonderful job of saving lives every day, they don't get paid as much as footballers, who in comparison, have a pretty worthless job of kicking a football around a field. But that's another subject for another day.
Writers are hard working people. It takes a huge level of motivation to start a book and finish it. And I know too many writers who don't feel worthy enough just because they write. A lot of them are reluctant to call themselves writers if they don't have a huge backlist of books or earn a £1000/$1000 a month from their work. But I am typing this post today to tell you that writers are worth their weight in gold. You may not earn that sort of money yet but that doesn't mean you never will, as long as you keep writing. You have made your mark on the economy by going out to buy pens, paper and other writing equipment like computers. You have contributed to the system just by doing that alone. If you are traditionally published you will no doubt have an agent working with you. If you self publish you still help online stores stay in business as they will take a cut from your work.
I think writers have a marvellous job because our career falls into the entertainment industry. If you are a comedian, you're hoping to make people laugh and improve their life quality. Everyone on this planet feels better after a good laugh. If you're a painter you hope to inspire people through your paintings. And if you're a writer you hope to change a life for the better. I tell you now there is no better feeling that exists when a total stranger emails you to say your book inspired them in such a way that they've made a conscious decision to change their attitude to life. To take on your attitude to life, and make the most of every second.
So writers may not perform outstanding medical procedures to save lives, but we may save lives in another sense. We may not stand in a classroom with thirty students teaching them how cook but our books may be seen as tools which provide essential life skills. Writers teach people about a different way of thinking. They open people's minds up to endless worlds of possibility. They provide another pair of eyes to view life from.
Writing may be the best job in the world.
Some writers may think like this but I am sure they are in the minority. A lot of writers write despite having a full time job - they write simply because they cannot not write. For some it is just a hobby but I think the majority of writers would love to earn a living from their passion but unfortunately many do not.
But what about those who have writing as a full time career? Do some people honestly think that they do not deserve success just because they don't build houses, save lives or are on a mission to cure AIDS? Even though people in the medical world do a wonderful job of saving lives every day, they don't get paid as much as footballers, who in comparison, have a pretty worthless job of kicking a football around a field. But that's another subject for another day.
Writers are hard working people. It takes a huge level of motivation to start a book and finish it. And I know too many writers who don't feel worthy enough just because they write. A lot of them are reluctant to call themselves writers if they don't have a huge backlist of books or earn a £1000/$1000 a month from their work. But I am typing this post today to tell you that writers are worth their weight in gold. You may not earn that sort of money yet but that doesn't mean you never will, as long as you keep writing. You have made your mark on the economy by going out to buy pens, paper and other writing equipment like computers. You have contributed to the system just by doing that alone. If you are traditionally published you will no doubt have an agent working with you. If you self publish you still help online stores stay in business as they will take a cut from your work.
I think writers have a marvellous job because our career falls into the entertainment industry. If you are a comedian, you're hoping to make people laugh and improve their life quality. Everyone on this planet feels better after a good laugh. If you're a painter you hope to inspire people through your paintings. And if you're a writer you hope to change a life for the better. I tell you now there is no better feeling that exists when a total stranger emails you to say your book inspired them in such a way that they've made a conscious decision to change their attitude to life. To take on your attitude to life, and make the most of every second.
So writers may not perform outstanding medical procedures to save lives, but we may save lives in another sense. We may not stand in a classroom with thirty students teaching them how cook but our books may be seen as tools which provide essential life skills. Writers teach people about a different way of thinking. They open people's minds up to endless worlds of possibility. They provide another pair of eyes to view life from.
Writing may be the best job in the world.
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
How to Keep those New Year Resolutions
It's that time of year again where people make promises to themselves which they often fail to keep. The most common resolutions are to lose weight, exercise more and to be an all round better person.
These plans are often achievable, more so when you have an actual plan of how you're going to achieve these goals but most people fail to maintain them, especially if they're just left as fantasies floating around your head.
Various studies have shown that any sort of goal, whether they're new year resolutions or not, are most often successful if they are written down. People who write down their goals have already taken that first step of commitment to ensure these goals come true. It's like they view the piece of paper as a legal binding contract. They have that piece of paper to focus on everyday if they've placed it in a room they visit on a daily basis. They pass their eyes over the written words, consciously or subconsciously, but these goals are always there to remind whoever set them they need to be achieved.
If people just leave their goals in their head they're most likely to push them to the back of their mind, left there to be forgotten.
As a writer I always find myself writing down my goals to separate them from the rest of the stuff that whirls around my mind. Rather than set them out for the whole year I often spread them out into monthly or weekly tasks that need to be completed.
Saying all this is all well and good but few goals are going to come true without a definite plan of action: how are you going to make your goals happen? It's one thing to say I want to write a whole book this year but unless I write a set amount of words everyday this is unlikely to happen. People need to set goals that they can achieve, rather than just having something specific in mind with no definite path of how to get there. And this is where some writers fail. They say they want to sell a 1000 books by the end of they year but how are they going to control that set figure? How are they going to persuade people to buy their book, and sell that amount within that time frame?
Where possible I try to stay away from these goals. I think that having any goal like that is often a bad idea because there's no control factor. What I could say is I would like to sell roughly that amount and plan my marketing strategy to include everything I could to make that happen.
This year I have one very achievable main goal. That is to finish my second book and get it ready to be published. I hope to have it out there by the end of this year but that also depends on the editor I employ and whether that will fit with their schedule.
My other goals are to become involved with various groups in Goodreads and to network more with writers of my genre.
What about you, what are your resolutions and how do you think you're going to achieve them?
These plans are often achievable, more so when you have an actual plan of how you're going to achieve these goals but most people fail to maintain them, especially if they're just left as fantasies floating around your head.
Various studies have shown that any sort of goal, whether they're new year resolutions or not, are most often successful if they are written down. People who write down their goals have already taken that first step of commitment to ensure these goals come true. It's like they view the piece of paper as a legal binding contract. They have that piece of paper to focus on everyday if they've placed it in a room they visit on a daily basis. They pass their eyes over the written words, consciously or subconsciously, but these goals are always there to remind whoever set them they need to be achieved.
If people just leave their goals in their head they're most likely to push them to the back of their mind, left there to be forgotten.
As a writer I always find myself writing down my goals to separate them from the rest of the stuff that whirls around my mind. Rather than set them out for the whole year I often spread them out into monthly or weekly tasks that need to be completed.
Saying all this is all well and good but few goals are going to come true without a definite plan of action: how are you going to make your goals happen? It's one thing to say I want to write a whole book this year but unless I write a set amount of words everyday this is unlikely to happen. People need to set goals that they can achieve, rather than just having something specific in mind with no definite path of how to get there. And this is where some writers fail. They say they want to sell a 1000 books by the end of they year but how are they going to control that set figure? How are they going to persuade people to buy their book, and sell that amount within that time frame?
Where possible I try to stay away from these goals. I think that having any goal like that is often a bad idea because there's no control factor. What I could say is I would like to sell roughly that amount and plan my marketing strategy to include everything I could to make that happen.
This year I have one very achievable main goal. That is to finish my second book and get it ready to be published. I hope to have it out there by the end of this year but that also depends on the editor I employ and whether that will fit with their schedule.
My other goals are to become involved with various groups in Goodreads and to network more with writers of my genre.
What about you, what are your resolutions and how do you think you're going to achieve them?
Wednesday, 28 December 2011
Feeling Real About Writing
As indie authors we can sometimes feel like we are just writing for ourselves. It seems surreal to put our work online for people to purchase internationally, even though we do have proof this happens as we check our weekly sales.
From time to time this feeling does occasionally bother me. I do countless hours of work each week and yet I feel the only person who knows this happens is myself. Now I'm not complaining about lack of recognition here; the people buying my book obviously know I'm a writer, or a serial traveller. Or maybe a bit of both! But as indie authors I think this is a feeling common to many. Because we are not liaising with people on a daily basis - agents, designers, publicists and publishers, we can sometimes question our own workload as we have no one watching over our shoulder to check all our daily tasks are completed.
Whilst writing, I can spend a year or so having no contact with anyone outside in the real world, apart from my friends and family. And the only time I do have contact with someone who works in another profession is the time when I am hunting down an editor and cover designer. This is totally different from my past jobs: working in a hospital I used to have daily contact with at least fifty different people, or sometimes more.
Having to network with people is increasingly difficult when you work in such an isolating job. Obviously, as writers, we need to network with our target audience so I spend a quarter of my time socialising with people I will never meet. And in my future works of fiction, I will write about people who don't exist and events that have never occurred.
So I guess what I am trying to say here it's no wonder things can feel a bit surreal from time to time. We make money from people who live overseas and potentially don't have contact with. We network with people who sometimes we don't even know the gender of, and we work day after day without seeing anyone else.
But there is one huge plus point to all of this. As indie authors we work for ourselves and this means no one else can ever let us down. The only person who can do that is ourselves.
From time to time this feeling does occasionally bother me. I do countless hours of work each week and yet I feel the only person who knows this happens is myself. Now I'm not complaining about lack of recognition here; the people buying my book obviously know I'm a writer, or a serial traveller. Or maybe a bit of both! But as indie authors I think this is a feeling common to many. Because we are not liaising with people on a daily basis - agents, designers, publicists and publishers, we can sometimes question our own workload as we have no one watching over our shoulder to check all our daily tasks are completed.
Whilst writing, I can spend a year or so having no contact with anyone outside in the real world, apart from my friends and family. And the only time I do have contact with someone who works in another profession is the time when I am hunting down an editor and cover designer. This is totally different from my past jobs: working in a hospital I used to have daily contact with at least fifty different people, or sometimes more.
Having to network with people is increasingly difficult when you work in such an isolating job. Obviously, as writers, we need to network with our target audience so I spend a quarter of my time socialising with people I will never meet. And in my future works of fiction, I will write about people who don't exist and events that have never occurred.
So I guess what I am trying to say here it's no wonder things can feel a bit surreal from time to time. We make money from people who live overseas and potentially don't have contact with. We network with people who sometimes we don't even know the gender of, and we work day after day without seeing anyone else.
But there is one huge plus point to all of this. As indie authors we work for ourselves and this means no one else can ever let us down. The only person who can do that is ourselves.
Wednesday, 21 December 2011
Do you Write Balanced Reviews?
I touched on the subject of receiving reviews and how beneficial they potentially are back in the summer. As authors, we think about receiving reviews and worry if we don't. To us, they're a very important matter, and I know I worry sometimes just how my reviews and potential reviews are affecting the sale of my book.
But in this post I am going to talk about something a little different but it's still connected to the issue of reviews. We know we like good reviews, we should all love balanced reviews, and most of us probably hate nasty/bad reviews.
So, as writers reading other authors books, does this affect your ability to write reviews yourself?
I don't write that many reviews at the moment because I am trying to focus on getting my second book finished and at three quarters of the way through, I'm almost there. But since becoming a writer myself I am almost scared of writing any review. Will my review affect the authors sales in a good way or in a negative sense, and do I want to have this responsibility of potentially affecting things this much? Thinking these thoughts has now made me a better person because I am always conscious of how everyone else will read what I have written.
Now I am not saying because of this fear I will only write glowing reviews despite me thinking a five year old could have written something better. Where possible I try to make all my reviews balanced and written in a fair way. I will never leave a review which is totally nasty and personal though as I don't think this is a very professional way to be. Online you have always got to consider how you want to come across and remember that at a click of a button, anyone can read what you say. And usually if you say something bad it will probably come back to haunt you as there's a good chance it will remain there forever, unless someone in power has the ability to take it down.
I know some people love to leave nasty reviews (I'm not saying these people are other writers, although some may be) but I don't think I could ever be one of them. If I really don't like something then I will say so but there are certain ways you can do this and still be fair. To me it doesn't ever pay to be nasty. I try to follow Sibel Hodge's philosophy: 'Treat others how you would like to be treated.'
So before you write that next review, think how you're likely to come across. And if you're ever nasty, be prepared for the consequences. Remember you're likely to turn people against you, lose readers, and be the potential target for revenge.
How important do you think it is to maintain a professional online presence? Have I missed something vital out or do you agree with most things I say?
Merry Christmas to you all.
But in this post I am going to talk about something a little different but it's still connected to the issue of reviews. We know we like good reviews, we should all love balanced reviews, and most of us probably hate nasty/bad reviews.
So, as writers reading other authors books, does this affect your ability to write reviews yourself?
I don't write that many reviews at the moment because I am trying to focus on getting my second book finished and at three quarters of the way through, I'm almost there. But since becoming a writer myself I am almost scared of writing any review. Will my review affect the authors sales in a good way or in a negative sense, and do I want to have this responsibility of potentially affecting things this much? Thinking these thoughts has now made me a better person because I am always conscious of how everyone else will read what I have written.
Now I am not saying because of this fear I will only write glowing reviews despite me thinking a five year old could have written something better. Where possible I try to make all my reviews balanced and written in a fair way. I will never leave a review which is totally nasty and personal though as I don't think this is a very professional way to be. Online you have always got to consider how you want to come across and remember that at a click of a button, anyone can read what you say. And usually if you say something bad it will probably come back to haunt you as there's a good chance it will remain there forever, unless someone in power has the ability to take it down.
I know some people love to leave nasty reviews (I'm not saying these people are other writers, although some may be) but I don't think I could ever be one of them. If I really don't like something then I will say so but there are certain ways you can do this and still be fair. To me it doesn't ever pay to be nasty. I try to follow Sibel Hodge's philosophy: 'Treat others how you would like to be treated.'
So before you write that next review, think how you're likely to come across. And if you're ever nasty, be prepared for the consequences. Remember you're likely to turn people against you, lose readers, and be the potential target for revenge.
How important do you think it is to maintain a professional online presence? Have I missed something vital out or do you agree with most things I say?
Merry Christmas to you all.
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Does Genre Matter?
Last week I found a blog post on the subject of specific types of genre. I thought it looked so good that I decided to share it with other writers in the online community. My thoughts were right about the blog because it generated a lot of interest. People seemed very keen to discuss the issues surrounding book genre, and I must admit there is a lot more to the topic than I first thought.
I've noted down this post so I can use it in the future should I ever find myself struggling with genre issues again. After spending several months in the writing community, I have noticed a lot of confusion about the certain category authors books fall into. Some swear blind it's a romance while others will argue it is a chick lit.
But this is the beauty of self publishing. Just the other day I was reading a blog about Darcie Chan's major success at becoming a best selling author with her first book. At first she decided to try the traditional route of getting her book published but many agents and publishers turned her down because her manuscript had no specific genre. To become published the traditional way you have to have a clear idea of where your book will sit in the market place. Publishers need to know what genre the book is so they can market accordingly. In the traditional publishing world this makes a lot of sense. After all there really is only room for one specific genre for each book. But in the self publishing world, authors can market the book themselves however they want. If the book has elements of romance, chick lit, mystery and a bit of paranormal activity thrown in, they say so, and if the story sounds good people will buy it anyway. It is a proven theory this works because it's worked for so many authors like Darcie Chan. Amazon's Kindle has a section where you can list each category/sub category if you choose to self publish with them, making it easy for readers to find your book when they do a search.
The issue of not having a specific genre worried me at first with my book, and that was the main criticism of my editor. Of course I could always have re-written my book with a particular genre in mind but I wanted to be brave and see how it would sell through the kindle. And so far I have received several good reviews off people who have never met me, so my book can't be all that bad.
What do you think about genre, is it an issue you struggle with? Do you think mainstream publishers place too much importance on the subject? Or do you think genre should be scrapped altogether?
Anyway, here is the link to the blog on genre: http://bardsandsages.com/juliedawson/2011/08/09/writing-clinic-defining-genre/#comment-553
Darcie Chan: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204770404577082303350815824.html?mod=wsj_share_tweet
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the matter.
I've noted down this post so I can use it in the future should I ever find myself struggling with genre issues again. After spending several months in the writing community, I have noticed a lot of confusion about the certain category authors books fall into. Some swear blind it's a romance while others will argue it is a chick lit.
But this is the beauty of self publishing. Just the other day I was reading a blog about Darcie Chan's major success at becoming a best selling author with her first book. At first she decided to try the traditional route of getting her book published but many agents and publishers turned her down because her manuscript had no specific genre. To become published the traditional way you have to have a clear idea of where your book will sit in the market place. Publishers need to know what genre the book is so they can market accordingly. In the traditional publishing world this makes a lot of sense. After all there really is only room for one specific genre for each book. But in the self publishing world, authors can market the book themselves however they want. If the book has elements of romance, chick lit, mystery and a bit of paranormal activity thrown in, they say so, and if the story sounds good people will buy it anyway. It is a proven theory this works because it's worked for so many authors like Darcie Chan. Amazon's Kindle has a section where you can list each category/sub category if you choose to self publish with them, making it easy for readers to find your book when they do a search.
The issue of not having a specific genre worried me at first with my book, and that was the main criticism of my editor. Of course I could always have re-written my book with a particular genre in mind but I wanted to be brave and see how it would sell through the kindle. And so far I have received several good reviews off people who have never met me, so my book can't be all that bad.
What do you think about genre, is it an issue you struggle with? Do you think mainstream publishers place too much importance on the subject? Or do you think genre should be scrapped altogether?
Anyway, here is the link to the blog on genre: http://bardsandsages.com/juliedawson/2011/08/09/writing-clinic-defining-genre/#comment-553
Darcie Chan: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204770404577082303350815824.html?mod=wsj_share_tweet
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the matter.
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
Are you a Successful Writer?
As I've mentioned before in my previous blog posts, I am hoping to write fiction after completing my second book. When I first set out to write my first book, I bought several books about the art of memoir writing and followed the tips given as best as I could. I also bought some books on writing in general and made sure I read a few books in the style that I wanted to follow.
Now I think it's time for me to begin that whole process over again but this time I'll have a whole new approach in mind. I want to write the very best book I can so I plan to read everything that I can possibly find. To be a successful writer I think you have to go through several processes first. The first one is to research as much as you can about the art, the second is to read books by authors who have already accomplished this. But I know there are many people who don't agree with this. Some people will not read any books about how to write novels because they are overwhelmed with the amount of information they give and they don't always agree with the advice that's in them. Other people say that you can learn to become a successful writer by just reading books by successful authors. As long as you pay attention to the story structure and the style of writing, you are more than half way to following in their success.
As always I am completely open minded here to both arguments and will try any other technique I think may be helpful. I do like to read books that I think I would like to write, but there's only one thing I am cautious of and that is subconsciously copying the odd sentence here and there. When you read something again and again you are very likely, in my opinion, to have those words come up when you're not actively thinking of them. Then you run the risk of mistakenly thinking that they are your own. To try and control this problem I will not read anything while I am writing. I will read before and after my latest work but never during.
So here is my plan of action:
1. I am going to attempt to write my first fiction draft before I refer to the 'how to write fiction books' again. Then I'll be able to see what my weak points are and what I need to work on more.
2. When I read my next fiction book for fun I am going to take more notice of the story and try to figure out how I would improve its potential weaknesses.
3. I will take one section of the book at a time and focus on that particular issue instead of overwhelming myself by trying to do everything at once.
I hope my plan of action here will help get me started writing a fiction book. What other ideas and tips have you found to work in your case? Please share
Now I think it's time for me to begin that whole process over again but this time I'll have a whole new approach in mind. I want to write the very best book I can so I plan to read everything that I can possibly find. To be a successful writer I think you have to go through several processes first. The first one is to research as much as you can about the art, the second is to read books by authors who have already accomplished this. But I know there are many people who don't agree with this. Some people will not read any books about how to write novels because they are overwhelmed with the amount of information they give and they don't always agree with the advice that's in them. Other people say that you can learn to become a successful writer by just reading books by successful authors. As long as you pay attention to the story structure and the style of writing, you are more than half way to following in their success.
As always I am completely open minded here to both arguments and will try any other technique I think may be helpful. I do like to read books that I think I would like to write, but there's only one thing I am cautious of and that is subconsciously copying the odd sentence here and there. When you read something again and again you are very likely, in my opinion, to have those words come up when you're not actively thinking of them. Then you run the risk of mistakenly thinking that they are your own. To try and control this problem I will not read anything while I am writing. I will read before and after my latest work but never during.
So here is my plan of action:
1. I am going to attempt to write my first fiction draft before I refer to the 'how to write fiction books' again. Then I'll be able to see what my weak points are and what I need to work on more.
2. When I read my next fiction book for fun I am going to take more notice of the story and try to figure out how I would improve its potential weaknesses.
3. I will take one section of the book at a time and focus on that particular issue instead of overwhelming myself by trying to do everything at once.
I hope my plan of action here will help get me started writing a fiction book. What other ideas and tips have you found to work in your case? Please share
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