Character Development

All characters need a weakness when they start their novel. Most writers (99.9%) of them create a problem such as rape surviver, or childhood abuse surviver. But, if you read the best sellers - how often do you see these. In fact, it is possible to create an emotionally healthy character, but still give them flaws...just use your imagination.



Insomnia in popular culture

Insomnia has been a featured disorder from many factors such as books and movies. Two cult classics one is a book titled Insomnia written by horror novelist Stephen King and the other is the Robert DeNiro film from 1976 Taxi Driver. There have been 28 songs written and recorded about insomnia and among the artists who recorded a song were Vanessa Carlton, Green Day, Radiohead, and Tenacious D. The most popular film based on the Chuck Palahniuk novel that was a hit about 6 years ago was Fight Club with Edward Norton and Brad Pitt and the lead character was manic insomniac. This seems to be the most common form of sleeping disorder to the point that movies and songs were made about this problem.

People aren't aware that this is a problematic issue for those who suffer from this. It's not healthy to go without sleep because it can affect your immune system making you prone to catching things like the flu and colds. Not getting any rest can cause severe disorientation because your body wasn't given an opportunity to rest and recuperate.

This is what drove the designer coffee movement up like the sprawl of coffee shops from Starbucks, Gloria Jeans, Seattle's Best, and Caribou Coffee since you had a lot of late nighters consisting of mainly people working in hospitals and college students who had to pull late nighters and cram sessions and needed to stay awake so when coffee wasn't working they bought this over the counter pill called Vivarin which is equal to about 2 cups of coffee when you take the prescribed dosage.

It's usually not a good idea to take Vivarin because it can interfere with your body's ability to sleep and rest normally. You'll find more college students getting sick a lot because they're forcing their bodies to do things that isn't normal like staying up super late and not getting at least 6 hours of sleep. Rest also provides your body's digestive system to rest which makes up about 70% of your immune system so it's ideal to sleep when necessary and taking short naps also work as a re-energizer to give you a burst of energy that works much better than coffee or caffeine pills.

Logos: Author Promotion

This is one of the most overlooked aspects of being an author. Do you want a big contract? Do you want to be published then you need to create a commodity that publishers can market. This includes a website, business cards, and promo items. But, it takes more than that. You need to brand yourself. You need a good 'professionaly taken' photo - by a model photographer, not the guy down the street.

You also need a logo that is recognizable. This is one of the first things I learned. My first writing instructor never submitted a manuscript unless it was on letterhead that included her logo design

This website took me less than 10 minutes to create using an online wizard. The wizard broke into two parts, one made the logo, one made the business card.

I went back two or three times to make changes. At first I put my name on the logo, but changed it to my 'sale's statement.'

Next, I stretched the book. At first, it was the size of the U in published. I also changed the color so I could create a layer.

So, there is no reason why you shouldn't make your own business cards, cheaper than the local office supply story, and easier.

Once you have a logo, you can use it on more than business cards to 'brand yourself.'

More Genres: Horror

I've been focusing the latest series on genres. There is a lot written for genres, including books, courses, and web articles. Horror is an interesting genre, it is not a genre defined by struture or characters, but by 'feeling.' The horror writers say 'horror is an emotion not a genre.' And, in some ways, they are right.




Horror movies: Horrifying your imagination!

Horror movies are unsettling films, designed to frighten and panic, because dread and alarm, and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying, shocking finale, while captivating and entertaining us at the same time in a cathartic experience. They deal with our most primal nature and its fears: our nightmares, our vulnerability, our alienation, our revulsion, our terror of the unknown, our fear of death and dismemberment or loss of identity. These movies effectively center on the dark side of life, the forbidden, and strange and alarming events.

Horror movies go back as far as the onset of films themselves, over 100 years ago. Often in our thoughts, we use vivid imaginations to see ghosts in scary shapes, to be emotionally connected to the unknown and to fear things that are improbable. Watching a horror movie gives an opening into that scary world, into an outlet of the essence of fear itself, without actually being in danger. Weird as it sounds, there's a very real thrill in being scared or watching disturbing, horrific images.

These genres of movies are often combined with science fiction when the menace or monster is related to a corruption of technology, or when earth is threatened by aliens. Also known as chillers, scary movies, spook-fests, and the macabre, these movies are usually liked by every generation. The best horror films only imply or suggest the horror in subtle ways, rather than blatantly displaying the disruptive figures and faces. When done well and with less reliance on horrifying special effects, it can be extremely potent film forms, tapping into our dream states and the horror of the irrational and unknown, and the horror within man himself.

Early horror films were Gothic in style - meaning that they were usually set in spooky old mansions, castles, or fog-shrouded, dark and shadowy locales. Characters including dualities, demons, zombies, evil spirits, archfiends and satanic villains are the ones taking the lead.

Films like Saw, Demons, Evil Dead and The Ring, are some of the most critically acclaimed movies in the recent past. Now, with online shopping, these movies have become more easy and convenient. Today, Horror movies DVDs could easily be availed online. One just has to order at the website and the DVDs would be right at your doorstep

Write What You Know

We have all heard it - Write What You Know. Unfortunately, many writers bury themselves behind their computer and are out of touch with the real world.

Don't believe me? When was the last time you read a contemporary romance where the hero had his own exercise equipment in his home? But, a large population of men (and women) do own their own home gym equipment.

What is more important is learning the modern terms. Today's elliptical is far more advanced than the old 'home gyms' or the cheap imitations sold at 4am through infomercials.

These pieces of equipment are necessary in many people's lives. I use to have a gym membership - then I moved. Now, I don't have time. I need to exercise at home, for my figure, for my health. All writers need to keep in shape to avoid depression, and health problems.

Rebirth of the Gothic

At Enspiren Press, we are currently resorecting some Gothics from the 1200, 1700, and 1800 cnetury. We are focusing on Italian and French Gothic novels. They are facinating rewrites - and proof that you can't just stick a vampire in a novel to have a true Gothic novel. The rules of the genre have not changed for hundreds of years. if You want to write Gothic novels....hit public domain and start reading the 'real thing.'


The Problem with Vampires

I've been catching reruns of this show, The Mad, Mad House on the reality channel. The premise of the show is that a bunch of people with alternative life styles - the 'Alts' - take on a group of normal people in a mansion and whichever normal person stays the most normal at the end of the episode, that person gets booted. See, they're testing their capacity for change and growth. Or something. Anyways, the Alts are composed of a naturist, a modern primitive, a voodoo priestess, a witch and ... a vampire.

Well, he's a guy who says he's a vampire, though I seriously doubt that he's immortal and undead or any of that stuff. He drinks blood, sure, and he sleeps in a coffin during the day, and he has prosthetic fangs attached to his incissors, and he has creepy contact lenses, and he's really pale, but as far as being a 'real' vampire - if that term can be used for a fictional creation from folk lore - Naah. He aint it. This 'vampire' is just one more weirdo looking for some attention.

Vampires strain my ability to suspend disbelief, especially depending on who's vampire you're talking about. Like take the 'classic' vampire as described by Bram Stoker's Dracula. Dracula has been 'living' for centuries in Transylvania and they know about him in the area but for some reason nobody has taken the trouble to dispose of him. That's okay. They mind their own business in Transylvania. Well, according to the legend he can't be seen in mirrors, is scared of crosses, is mostly afraid of daylight, hates garlic, enjoys long walks in the country, fine dining and genuine people. He can be killed with a stake through the heart or fire ... and maybe silver. I'll have to check.

Every time that Dracula feeds on someone till they die- pay attention, this is important - they also become a vampire. And that is the problem. The mathematics of vampirism just doesn't work out. Dracula would have created a geometric progression of undead so that each vampire would inturn create multiples of more vampires, and they would each one of them create even more so that you would have a pyramid scheme of the undead. It would not take long until the entire world is full of vampires and who's going to be left to suck on?

This is hinted at in Steven King's excellent vampire novel, Salem's Lot. It's a great book. I really love it. But at the very end when the hero has gone off with his boy companion, after the whole village of Salem's Lot has been turned into vampires, I wonder ... what's stopping the vampires from going to the next little village in Maine, or the next one, or the next one and so on? Answer: Nothing. They'd just keep going until the entire world is full of vampires and, you guessed it, there's no one left to suck on.

Anne Rice takes care of this problem, sort of, in her vampire novels the most notable of which is Interview with the Vampire. In her scheme, it's not enough to just be bitten by a vampire; That won't turn you into one automatically. Instead, the vampire has to select you and then there has to be a process where you drink blood from the vampire and by doing that you ingest the essence, which turns you into one of the immortal undead. But there's a catch, of course. You have to be beautiful. I guess it's comforting to know that there won't be any eternally ugly ones, but still ... that's so not fair to all the non-beauty queens out there. The benefit of this is that they aren't promiscuously making more of their own kind. Sort of undead birth control.

What really bothers me most about her books is that once you're a vampire you can never have sex again. The act of draining someone of their blood is supposed to be an orgasmic experience that's even better than the real thing, but I don't care. It just wouldn't do it for me. I'm used to the old fashioned way, thank you. Her vampires are real sensuous and all that, and in love with each other, and that's nice. But as much as they love each other, they can never consumate that love in any meaningful way.

And her vampires feed every single night - one human sucked dry apiece. Here's where the math really gets tricky. In Interview with the Vampire there are three vampires in the group and they live together for about seventy five years. So let's do the math: That's about twenty five thousand victims, times three, which yields approximately seventy five thousand dead bodies around this very, very small group. Do you honestly mean to tell me that this would totally escape everybody's attention? Not even the dumbest law enforcement would miss this coincidence. Okay, Anne cheats a little and says that her vampires have a special way of healing up the bite marks so that the supernaturally dead people would be taken for just normal, regular dead. But still, they have no blood and we're supposed to believe no one would ever figure that out?

I don't think so.

The vampires I like the best are the ones in the TV show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This is a great show and the greatest thing about it is how tongue and cheek everything is. Things may seem more than a little improbable now and then, but the characters roll with it. Creator Joss Whedon's vampires are more fully realized, and these guys have 'romantic' lives, if you know what I mean? You do know what I mean. Right?

Yeah, they get it on. The story lines are much more satisfying and the inherent Romeo and Juliet type conflict is heightened when Buffy the Vampire Slayer is involved with not one, but two seperate vampires ... and she's a vampire slayer! Boy, tell me love isn't blind. Joss's vampire infested world does kind of have the problem of too many vampires that make even more, but he does have a slayer to take care of the overpopulation, like Buffy is their predator. If I had to choose from which type of vampire I could have faith in, his would definitely be the closest.

Steve Sommers is the author of Breakfast with the Antichrist. His new novel, Rexroi, along with the best of Australian Science Fiction - is available as an ebook at www.rspublishing.com.au, OR if you ABSOLUTELY need to turn pages when you read - at www.lulu.com/content/306670

Setting Up The Scene

One of the most confusing aspects of scene writing is 'setting up the scene.' Most authors don't get this, they believe they are expected to write up to 2 pages that set the scene, give back story, and foreshadow the story. This is wrong. Start the scene with some action.

If you feel the need to describe cabinet knobs then go to one of the online home decorating sites, buy some new cabinet knobs for your home, and then write reviews. Mind you, we are renovating our home, so I've spent a lot of time looking around the sites.

I am buying the above knobs...for my kitchen...they won't be appearing in my book.

How to Write Historical Novels

There is more to the historical novel than romance placed in the past. A historical novel is not a romance. The historical romance, and the historical novel, are fundamentally different. The novels have different structures, different premise, different character arcs. If you want to learn how to write a good romance then study North and South. It has everthing that defines the genre.


John Jakes' "North and South"

I have read the book of John Jakes "North and South". This is a historical novel writing at its best. When the book was published, there was so much ado about the book. The novel became a real bestseller, one of the greatest novels in American History. The New York Times wrote about the book: 'On the history of the U.S. book publishing, there has never been such a success story quite like that of John Jakes.'

Bravo! Fantastic! Superb! As a bonus for the hours that it takes to complete such a monumental book, you will gain a first-hand knowledge of life at West Point in the early and mid-1800s… a peak at the Texas frontier, a vacation in a posh cottage at Newport, experience the savagery of war in Mexico, suffer the suspense of both the Charleston Battery and beleaguered Fort Sumter before the mortal fire that launched a war… It has been a long time since I enjoyed the book so much.

The book starts with a brief prologue Two Fortunes. The first one is the Charcoal Burner's Boy. It happened in Ireland in 1686 when a sixteen-year-old boy Joseph killed in a fight his stepfather, who constantly abused his mother and Joseph. He didn't want to let the boy study who was at the same time working at the charcoal burner. The boy was very eager to study; he had a great success at work where he learnt a lot about iron. He already realized that iron was very important for the future of a mankind and he would be able to make a lot of money if he had only known how to produce it. After he had accidentally murdered his stepfather and his mother died (she was killed by the drunkard), Joseph had to run away. He ran away on a ship that was sailing to the New World – America. He signed a contract that he would be slave worker for the first seven years, but after he would be able to develop his life on his own. Joseph takes another last name – Hazard.

There was another story in France. The aristocrat Charles de Main, who had to escape to the New World because of his religion – Protestant – which had been proclaimed wrong in France. As he didn't want to change his religious and political views he had to run away otherwise his family would have been put into a jail. He runs away to the South America and settles in South Carolina, where there had been a lot of Indian slaves. The Americans were at war with Indians, and the captured ones they turned into their slaves. Charles wanted to start a new business – growing rice on plantations – but it was a very hard work, which had to be done in water and almost unbearable conditions. There was the only nation that could do this kind of job and which was used to it, they were the Negroes from Africa. Thus it was the beginning of slavery on the South.

The next chapter starts with the events of spring of 1842. There are two young boys of sixteen years old, Orry Main form the southern state South Carolina and Charles Hazard from the northern state of Pennsylvania. They became the cadets of the Military Academy, West Point, which was considered to be the best for that time in the United States. The boys became very close friends as they had gone through the trials of four year studying at the academy. There was another man in the Academy who was a year older than the mentioned characters and became their first and only enemy. It was Bent who was very fat and considered himself to be superior. They became real rivals, the enemies till the end of their lives.

Orry's family lived on the South, had rice plantations and owned slaves. Niggers, as they called them. Charles' family from the North had iron producing business, and lots of iron plants. Of course there were no slaves, only hired workers. There have never been any argues between the two friends until the following events.

The first war started right after their graduation from the academy. The war was with the Mexicans for the new state of Texas, which Americans wanted to have as theirs. It was the first boys' experience of the real battles. At first they were so eager and excited to go to war and struggle for the country, but after they had seen the horror of war they became scared. This war was quickly finished and won by the Americans. During one of the battles in which Orry, Charles and Bent took part; Orry saved Bent from being murdered by the Indians who were on the Mexican part. In this battle Orry lost his left hand. He stayed crippled for the rest of his life. Yes, he saved Bent's life that had started feeling even more outrageous hatred to the friends. As Orry lost his hand he could not continue his service in the army any more. He went to South Carolina to take care of family business, growing rice. Charles as well dismissed himself from the army and came back to his mother state to run the iron producing business.

The article was produced by the writer of masterpapers.com.Sharon White is a senior writer and writers' consultant in Write dissertation writing

My First Business

No one just drops into the business world. We all need to start some where. I started with a pet store. I sold everything from dogfood to cat furniture, rabbits to parrots, guppies to piranah. I doubt my petshop could compete with the online stores, but it was a start. A small business in a small town.

I would do things different if I ran that business now. First, I would probably have an online pet store. Second, I would focus. I've seen dozens of ecommerce websites, but those that do well have a tight focus, such as mycatsheaven.com. A site that sells only cat products. I might have one that focuses on small dogs, as I love small dogs. But - I doubt I would deal with fish anymore.

How to Write a Fantasy Novel

I have at least one student enter my course at writersonlinecourses on novel writing. They want to write fantasy novels, because they heard that it is one of the hotest genres. But, what they don't realize is that fantasy has a balance, a formula, a structure - just like other genres.



How to Write an Epic Fantasy Novel – A No Nonsense Guide to getting the job done

The key to writing a real epic fantasy novel lies in the word “epic”. But this doesn’t just mean big in scale, scope, and size. An epic fantasy novel doesn’t have to be a thousand page doorstopper. It has to be epic in its ambitious reach for finding answers to the big questions in life. This is the true and hidden goal of epic fantasy. It is a vehicle for understanding what life is about. And even though the story may have dragons, and take place on an unbelievable world that doesn’t really exist it needs to be applicable to the human condition.

So this is the first thing you have to do when writing an epic fantasy novel. Decide what you want to say about life or what important topic you want to explore. Write this down and keep it in mind throughout your whole novel writing experience. And remember that you don’t have to come right out and explain your theme. It is usually better, and more rewarding for the reader, if you reveal the theme slowly and allow him or her to discover it.

Some common themes you may want to explore in epic fantasy include the examination of the nature of good and evil, the ultimate meaning of life, the quest to understand oneself, or the challenge of making the transition from childhood to adulthood.

Writing a book can be joyous, yet hard work, and you may need some motivation to get you through the whole task and here is all the motivation you will need. Write your theme down on a big piece of paper and pin it to the wall near your computer. Start it out like this: “My novel is all about: ”. Then put in your theme or themes. Here is an example: “My novel is all about how adversity is the most important thing in life. It is through adversity that we each become a better person. Gold comes out of the ground dirty and ugly. It is by going through the fire that it is purified and made beautiful. And I am going to put my main character through the fire!” Whenever writing becomes difficult for you this will be a source of inspiration because you have something to say and your novel is how you are going to say it. The world truly deserves to hear your perspective on the big questions in life.

When doing the actual writing of the prose of the novel I recommend you set yourself a very distinct goal. This is imperative and the goal I recommend you set is that you will write part of the story every single day until it is done. It is even ok if you just write one sentence or even if you write a whole passage that you know you are going to delete tomorrow. The important thing is that you write every day.

I don’t recommend you set goals that are pinned to dates or word counts. Dates can be tricky because a novel is a fluid thing. Your novel could end up being fifty thousand words or two hundred thousand words. This is because you are exploring a theme and more ideas and angles are going to come to you as progress. And I don’t recommend pinning a daily or weekly word count to your writing because writing is a creative process and you could end up with just a lot of filler. Simply set yourself the goal of sitting down and writing every day. This will keep the writing going, keep the story moving, and insure your improvement. At some point in the middle of the novel you are going to look back and realize that you are in a routine and everything is flowing quite smoothly.

I have two final bits of advice for you when it comes to writing your epic fantasy novel. First off I recommend you keep a spiral bound notebook for ancillary information and notes. This is where you keep ideas, plot lines, character names, places and all your ancillary information organized. As your novel, and the world it portrays grows, you will need to manage a lot of information and over the course of months or even a year or more of writing you are going to forget things. But a reader could potentially go through your novel in just a few hours. He or she is going to see logical flaws. Write down the details in a spiral bound notebook and refer to it often.

The last bit of advice I have for you is that you should never rely on the fantasy aspect of your world as an escape route. What I mean is that there is nothing worse than watching the main character of a novel getting out of a tricky spot by whipping out a super-duper magical spell that the reader never even knew about. Make sure there are rules in your world and make sure your characters follow them. You are drawing parallels to real life and in real life there are tangible rules to everything. So create rules in your world and follow them.

An epic fantasy novel is an exploration of the big questions in life. You have a very valuable point of view about these big questions and there is an audience out there that is very willing to listen. Write yourself a clear statement of what you want to say and then write toward that goal every day. Before long you will have a written work that you will be proud of and that will enrich other peoples lives by shedding light on the human condition. epic-fantasy.com

Take a Look at Your Home

Take a look at your home and then take a look at your story telling. There is so much in our lives that reflect in our stories. If we do not enjoy our environments, then our characters will live in a sterile world. This doesn't mean we need to live in prestige homes to be able to write a good story.

Even if we don't live in a high end home, we can look at the same websites where we do our online shopping to find help, inspiration, and creative ideas. It doesn't take a lot, but take a look at bathroom lights. They add so much ambiance to a room, relaxing with a restorative feel. If you want to relax, or let a character relax, then put them in the bathroom.

I did this in one of my stories where I wanted the action to stop so the character could focus on introspection and set up the character growth.

How to Write

I've been working this weekend with one of my editors on an authors submission. The story was good, but what the AC editor didn't realize was the story had no 'real' plot and no antagonist. This is an editor's nightmare. First, because the authors play prima donna and make life miserable for editors. Second, because the editor must fix the problem - very few authors know how to fix a major problem like this.

This is a major reason why authors remain unpublished. It doesn't take a very advanced writer's course to learn that all books must have an antagonist. In fact, any of the 'idiot's guide' books will tell you that. They will also explain what a plot is and give you enough information to build one.

This author has at least six months of rewrites ahead of them, and Enspiren Press will not touch another of this author's books - putting them right back at square one.

Getting the Word Out Through the Media - Utilizing Free Print, Radio & TV to Promote Your Book

Getting your book written and into print is only the beginning. Next you've got to get the word out so it can reach the hands of those who need to read it. One of the least expensive way to get the word out about your book is through the media.

The initial type of free media we will discuss is print media. This could be newspapers, newsletters or magazines. There are a few different ways of getting coverage in these types of publications.

• Interviews: An author in the local vicinity is always a great human interest story for a newspaper. Also, some magazines do feature articles where they may interview an author regarding their story and/or book.

• Articles: You may write a specific article based on the message of your book, or create an article by utilizing an excerpt from your book.

• Book reviews: Many newspapers and magazines regularly review books.
When approaching newspapers, attempt to tie into a national holiday or current event to give them a reason to act now. If that is not a possibility, then just let them know that you are a local author and knew they would be interested in an interview from the human interest angle.

A few years ago we wanted to get the larger newspaper in the Seattle area to cover a writing class my pastor's wife was teaching to some homeschoolers. We made a point to pitch it to the editor as a great story to go along with the national "I Love to Write Day" on November 15. This was just what we needed to get the paper's attention. They came out almost immediately to do an article which later turned into an additional full page article when the journalist was intrigued with Carla's ministry and came out to interview her during a Bible Study and writers critique group.

If you approach a magazine, find one that targets your ideal audience and request their "theme list" for the upcoming year. Keep in mind that many magazines and take home papers work 6-9 months out, and not all of them make their editorial schedule available. But if they do, and you can target your article or excerpt to something they already have on their editorial list, your chances of getting accepted are, of course, much greater. Also, don't send an article or excerpt from your book on parenting to "Biblical Archaeology" or "World" magazine. Make sure the magazine you send an article or excerpt to is geared towards the same audience as your message and that they consistently print articles or excerpts similar to yours.

And remember to query the editor in advance to see if they would be interested in your article. Oftentimes if a magazine accepts your article there will be payment to you as the author. When an article excerpted from my book was used as a "One Woman's Story" in Today's Christian Woman, I opted to waive the payment if they would put the ordering information in my byline at the end of the article. I would rather give the reader the opportunity to order a copy right then than make $500-800 on the article...and buying an ad in that magazine to run concurrently with my article would have cost much more than that, so I felt the trade off was a good deal, and it generated quite a few sales.

When contacting a newspaper or magazine about doing a book review, find out who handles the book reviews and contact them directly. Find out their submission requirements, as some want a "bound galley", some want an "unbound galley", some want the published book, and some don't care one way or another. Be sure to let them know that you can provide them with a digital image of the cover if they need it for the review, and include your press kit so they have some background information on you when they do the book review.

Expanding on different ways to get free media, the next aspect we will take a look at is utilizing electronic media in the form of radio interviews.

I prefer radio interviews, not only because they are much easier to book than TV, but there are way more radio stations with the talk radio format where interviewing authors is the norm. Also you don't have to travel anywhere to make the interview happen. In fact, you can do an hour long interview and be speaking to a listening audience of tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, and even millions of people...in your robe and slippers in the privacy of your own home!

Most of the time the radio station will call you on their dime, but occasionally they will require that you call in on a non-toll-free number.

Radio interviews can be anywhere from 5 minutes to 120 minutes, and if appropriate, may even take live calls for you to respond to. You will need to be fully prepared to articulately communicate your message either way, with short sound byte answers for the shorter interview and more detailed answers if time permits. If you do have call ins, make sure you take notes as they speak, and write down the callers name so you can be more personal with your answer.
And don't be afraid to get the interview back on topic if the host asks you a question that is irrelevant or begins a rabbit trail that will end up off topic. If the host asks you a question that you don't know the answer to, it's ok to say, "I don't know about that, but what I do know is....." and move the interview back to your topic.

You'll want to make sure that you let the host know that you have a toll free number for callers to use to order your book (that is, if you do have one!) and ask if it will be ok for you to give it out once or twice during the show. Don't get too aggressive about promoting your book or the host may get offended and cut the interview short. An interview is not intended to be one big advertisement for your book, but an informational segment intended to encourage and equip the listening audience and at the same time, it will naturally be a promotional piece about the message of your book. You want to give the listeners lots of good information, but leave enough out so that they have a reason to buy your book. Instead of giving ALL the information when asked, give some of it and then say "I go into much more detail in chapter four of my book."

If your book is available online, make sure you mention that as an alternate way for listeners to order a copy...and be sure, from the start of your interview, to speak clearly and project a little more than you feel that you need to. Your voice needs to carry over all those airwaves and there needs to be enough inflection to keep the audience listening....if you're too monotone, you'll lose them right off the bat.

In order to keep the door open for future interviews, always, always send a thank you card to the host. This business is all about relationships and if you can become a resource to many of the hosts who interview you, it will pay off in the long run.

Now let's take a moment to cover TV as the last type of free electronic media we'll mention in this article.

While TV is a lot more demanding, and requires travel time and expenses, it is not the greatest way to get free media, but it certainly has its place.

When my first book, Consumed by Success: Reaching the Top and Finding God Wasn't There, came out in 1995 I was doing quite a bit of traveling to speak at Christian Writers Conferences all across the country. At that time we did not have an in-house publicist so I was using a freelance publicist to book all my radio and TV. I gave her the list of all the speaking engagements I had scheduled for the year and had her book as many TV interviews as she could at each stop I would be making, scheduling them for the day before or sometimes even during the conference when I knew I wouldn't be needed. That way I didn't incur the added expense of traveling to get the free media, since I was already in town for the conference.

One of the first (live not taped) TV interviews I did was with Dr. Karen Hayter, with Family Net out of Fort Worth, TX.

"You're the first author I've interviewed in a long time who not only wrote your own book but read it as well!" Karen exclaimed after we finished. This was amazing to me, but it still holds true today. Many of the big time authors don't even write their own books (they have ghostwriters) and they often don't even take the time to read them before an interview...which leads me to my first piece of advice regarding TV interviews:

1) Re-read your book before going on a TV interview. Since the camera is on you, it will catch any hesitancy or "deer in the headlights" look you may display if a question comes that you're not ready for! It's not like radio where no one can see the look on your face.
2) Make sure you provide the producer/host with your list of suggested questions ahead of time so you are both on the same page.
3) Give the producer the ordering information on your book. If you have an 800 # to give out for easy ordering, make sure you do that before the show starts so they have it and can refer to it.
4) Stay away from wearing black, white, stripes, plaids, hounds-tooth, or other patterns like that.
5) Apply makeup a little heavier than usual, since the lights will wash you out and you'll need the extra color. (most shows have a make up artist who can do this for you, but some don't).
6) Arrive early, well rested, prepared and at peace. Go with the attitude of a servant, not a celebrity.

Make it a point to offer yourself as a resource or on-call expert to the media in your area. Make that first interview turn into a long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationship that will, in turn, give your message the exposure it deserves.

Athena Dean, founder of WinePress Publishing and three-time self-published author, has coached hundreds of authors through the daunting task of book production and promotion. Over the last 17 years she has helped bring the degree of credibility for self-published works up to the high level of acceptance in the industry it enjoys today. Athena functions as Acquisitions Manager for WinePress Publishing Group http://www.winepressgroup.com and is currently the President of the Northwest Christian Writers' Association http://www.nwchristianwriters.org Check out her You Can Do It - Promote and Market Your Self Published Book Blog at http://athenadean.authorweblog.com

Keith Ledger

Sometimes we have a wake-up call that can't be ignored. I guess the entire artistic community was shocked by the death of Keith Ledger. It wasn't so much that he died of a drug overdose, but that he was taking perscription drugs when he did...and that most of the writing world is dependent on uppers - or downers - or anti-depressents - or sleep aids.

Look on your desk, there is probably a few bottles within reach of your keyboard, right now. I am not saying that you need a trip to drug rehab, but you do need to put your health before your income.

Writing is not you - it is what you do. Don't let it put the rest of your life at risk.

Notebook Or Desktop Computer, What Is The Best Buy?

The idea of purchasing a personal computer may be appealing to a lot of people, however they may feel undecided as weather to go for a traditional desktop computer or for a light weight portable notebook. Several aspects should be taken into consideration as for the purposes of such acquisition. If the main purpose of buying a computer is for occasional use, regardless if it is for work or entertainment activities, one may consider buying a traditional desktop computer taking in consideration that its price is usually lower than the portable version.

The maintenance and eventual upgrade of a desktop computer is also much easier to perform and less costly. If the buyer is looking to spend the least amount of money, definitely the desktop computer models offer more choices of finding better deals weather it is used or new. One may look around the local computer stores for special deals or may consider browsing the many possibilities offered online stores.

Perhaps the greatest feature a desktop computer has is the fact that quite often it can be upgraded and personalized to suit the user needs without having to be sent back to the manufacturer. In most cases a local authorized computer store can perform the technical changes or upgrades to satisfaction. The desktop computers are meant for work and leisure as well and regardless of its configuration or how fast it can perform, it seems that it became an everyday tool of modern times.

On the other hand, if the main reason for the purchasing of a computer is portability, then in this case the notebook will be the right choice. There are several brand names available on the market offering all kinds of configurations, from very basic up to the most sophisticated and powerful late models of notebooks. After a careful research on which model will better suit your needs, then you will still have the option to choose to buy a new, reconditioned or used unit for the sake of saving some money. Keep in mind that a reconditioned laptop purchased from a computer store, usually comes will full warranty, just like as if you had purchased a brand new model but for a much less cost.

Just like any other purchase, it is important to do a careful research to find out what exactly your needs are and what are you going to do with it. The lightweight and portable notebooks are much nicer to carry around even though they are usually more expensive. Also the lightweight models almost always have a smaller screen and a more compact keyboard than traditional models of notebooks. So, in this case if weight is not a critical issue, than you may just consider to purchase a traditional regular-model notebook as long as it meets your requirements. If you choose this later option you will certainly be saving a great amount of money.

If you are the kind of person who feels skeptical about purchasing a reconditioned computer, because it has been previously returned from the manufacturer, relax, some times there is absolutely nothing wrong with the returned unit. It may have just been a matter of model preference or some minor detail that didn`t quite match the previous owner`s preference. Keep in mind that a reconditioned notebook with a full warranty is just as good as a brand new one and maybe even better for the great discount it usually offers.

Also you may find some good deals in refurbished notebooks. Beware that the difference between refurbished and reconditioned notebooks is that the former is usually an older notebook that has been used and then reconditioned, often by a third party, and the later usually means that it had some problem, went back to the manufacturer, got fixed and now it is available at a fair discount price with full manufacturer guarantee.

The right solution for one`s computer related tasks, whether desktop or notebook, will depend mostly on one`s working or leisure needs. Search carefully for the best deals and avoid paying extra for accessories you will hardly use. Also take a look at reconditioned (full warranty) computers. The price will certainly surprise you. And the performance might too!

Roberto Sedycias
IT Consultant

This article is under GNU FDL license and can be distributed without any previous authorization from the author. However the author´s name and all the URL´s (links) mentioned in the article and biography must be kept.


This article can also be accessed in portuguese language from the News Article section of page PoloMercantil Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for www.PoloMercantil.com.br

How To Buy A Desktop Computer Online

The internet has ushered in a new way for companies and customers to do business. Where it once was considered rare to order a product online, it has now become the norm. The computer industry is made up of many quality companies that all offer their products online. But if you are in the market for a desktop computer, how can you be sure that you are making the right decision? In this article, we’ll simplify the process so that you know how to buy a desktop computer online.

The good news in buying desktop computers today is that you are able to get a lot of capabilities at a very affordable price. It wasn’t too long ago that desktop computers would cost thousands of dollars, but that is no longer the case. Now, you are able to receive a high quality desktop computer for as low as $500, sometimes even lower. Now that you know price won’t play too much of a factor, the first determination you have to make when buying a desktop computer online is what you intend to use the system for.

If you are planning on buying a computer for basic tasks such as word processing and surfing the internet, there is really no need to buy an expensive model. Most basic desktop computers offer 512MB RAM (memory), and this should be more than enough to serve your needs. With that being said, it is best to buy a desktop computer with atleast 1GB of RAM, because you may need it later on down the road. While you might pay a few extra dollars for the memory, it is well worth it.

However, if you plan on using the computer for optimized gaming and video, you will definitely need to boost the quality of your system. Most of these higher-end desktop computers still cost less than $1000, and these babies can fly. If you are the type of person who doesn’t like to wait, then it is all about the processor. If you are ultra-serious about your gaming and video, you would be best served to buy a computer with a dual –core processor. Dual core processors allow for insanely fast multi-tasking, and are perfect for those people who have the need for speed. Intel makes several of these processors (4, D, and Extreme Edition being a few) as does Athlon (64 X2).

Frankly, the rest of the details regarding the desktop computer are of lesser importance, and they should be more than adequate depending upon your individual needs. One final note regarding your computer choice – it is recommended you buy an extra warranty. This could save you big money if something should go wrong with the computer down the line.

Now, let’s turn our attention towards the actual purchasing of the computer. It is vital that you choose the company wisely, and the best way is by doing an adequate amount of research. Most high-end companies (Dell, Gateway, HP) have products that can be trusted, but that’s not to say you should limit your thinking to only the major players. There are many quality computer companies out there that may be flying under the radar.

When placing an order online, it is important to protect your personal information at all times. It is best to only do business with companies that offer a secure server at the online checkout. There are several encryption services (VeriSign being one) that will make sure your personal information stays safe. Make sure the web site you order from has such a measure in place.

Hopefully, these tips on how to buy a desktop computer online will help you make the right choice based on your individual needs. Remember to get a desktop computer that has all the features you need, and do your homework before actually turning over your payment information. Good luck!

Jo Williams has an interest in Home & Garden related topics. To access more information on desktop computer cases or on used desktop computer, please click on the links.

Authors Over the Years

The myth of the author's life has been carried through the centuries. We've read about the authors who were drunks, too many to list, and those who were sent to drug rehabilitation for addictions to an unlimited number of chemicals.

Then there are the stories of the fantastic lifes that authors live, jetsetting around the world. In fact, I know two authors who travel to exotic places so they are 'ready' when they get their first contract.

The sad thing is, this is not part of the world. A writer's life is more like the life of a secretary than a diva. It is important to keep your feet on the ground, that is why I suggest that writers freelance, to start becoming a part of the writing world, before they try to become published authors.

Build Your Own Computer Or Buy?

Just look inside a computer case. At first glance, all those wires and components can look terrifyingly complex. And thinking about putting them all together by yourself may seem impossible.

Not to worry! Even though they are the products of advanced technology, the various pieces of a personal computer (PC) fit together with simple connections. If you can use a screwdriver and follow simple instructions, you can build your own PC.

Don't be intimidated by the task of connecting the computer components together. Many of the internal connections are molded so that it is impossible to fit them together the wrong way. If you have ever assembled a child's toy, you are more than capable of assembling a computer.

Advantages Of Building Your Own

You are probably asking yourself why anyone would bother to build a PC. After all, you can buy a cheap computer in almost any retail store.

If cost is your only consideration, you probably are better off buying one of those cheap machines. But if you have any special requirements for software or hardware, you'll benefit from the total control over the type and quality of components you get from building your own PC.

You can save some money, too. Although you probably can't match the price of the cheapest preassembled PC, once you begin adding on the inevitable customized hardware, the costs go up anyway. Suddenly building your own computer starts looking cheaper. And don't forget--those super-cheap PCs are bare-boned systems. Unless you need a computer only for basic word processing and e-mail, you will probably have to upgrade anyway.

Building your own PC can be a great learning experience. You will gain a better understanding of how the various components work together, knowledge that can be useful for troubleshooting. If your computer ever breaks down, you may be able to pinpoint the problem and fix it yourself, saving money on expensive repair bills.

You are virtually guaranteed to get the best computer when you build your own system. Big retailers often use cheaper OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) components to cut down on costs. Components like these can compromise the performance of a computer system. Although you can buy OEM components yourself, the trade-off in reliability and stability is usually not worth it. Brand name components are just a bit more expensive, but are well worth the cost.

Disadvantages

The major disadvantage in building your own PC is that you don't get a system-wide warranty. For example, if a malfunctioning motherboard fries your memory chips, you may not be able to get compensation for the damaged memory. If something like this happens with a store-bought system you could probably get the whole computer repaired under the warranty.

However, if you buy all your components at the same time from the same retailer, you are more likely to be compensated for this kind of situation.

Time is, of course, a factor. But it is educational time. And if you enjoy tinkering at all, it counts as fun time as well.

The Bottom Line

Building your own PC has a lot to offer. You'll be assured of getting the best components available, which translates to the best and most reliable computer for your money. You will learn about computer components and how to choose parts with the best performance. When it comes to servicing your computer, you may be able to solve and fix the problem yourself.

Oh, and one final advantage. The bragging rights of telling your friends that you built your own computer. Priceless!

Ron King is a full-time researcher, writer, and web developer. Visit http://www.build-computer-now.com to learn more about this fascinating subject. Copyright 2005 Ron King. This article may be reprinted if the resource box is left intact.

When To Buy A New Computer And What To Do With The Old One

Computers are great. When you receive your first computer, you will be amazed and a little confused at what you need. The first time you surf the Internet, you will be hooked; there is no better feeling. As time goes on, you will find that the computer that you purchased does not suit you needs anymore. With all of the tools that are available such as downloads and online games, your computers memory will soon be insufficient. When this happens, it may be time to sell your old computer in order to purchase a bigger and better one.

You can find upgrades for your computer by doing a Google search, however, with the advances that are made in technology everyday, the upgrades may not be compatible with your computer. This is also true when you install a new operating system that may require new hardware. It is very easy to end up spending way more than the cost of a new computer. In some instances, you can save yourself a lot of time, money and headaches just by purchasing a new computer. This is not to say that upgrading your computer is a waste of time and money, only that there are times when it is unnecessary.

Once you have made the decision to purchase a new computer, you have to decide what to do with the old one. Even though it may not suit your needs, it is still a good computer that someone else may benefit from. There are several different things you can do with your old computer.

Kids – When you have school age children, giving them your computer can not only give them great joy, it can also assist them in their schoolwork. In today’s school system, many different subjects are taught and they are also required to do homework that requires a lot of research. Your old computer may be perfect for them because you can install educational materials such as encyclopedias and thesaurus’ can be installed to assist them with their schoolwork.

Often times, older people will shy away from purchasing a computer because they feel that they are too old to learn how to use one and that it is an expense that they can live without. However, if you give your old computer to them, they will often be more receptive to learning how to use it. Once they catch on, they will wonder how they got along without one. Another advantage of giving your computer to someone who has limited knowledge is that if he or she somehow causes a critical error, it is more easily fixable than with a new computer. This will give him an incentive to learn and later purchase one with more features and a larger memory.

Another thing that you can do with your old computer is to use it to store all of your records and important information such as bank statements as well as insurance and mortgage information. With this use it is recommended to disconnect it from the Internet to avoid anyone hacking into it, and also prevent any viruses from attacking it.

There are many different uses for your old computer. Even if your needs have outgrown the computers capabilities, it can still be a useful machine in your home.

About the Author:Go To My PC is used to make a secure online connection to your PC.

How To Compare Computer Prices

What is your frequency of using your computer? Ponder over this for a while. Do you use it only to check emails once in few days, or do you use it for other purposes like surfing the web, banking, taking some of some office work, while visiting it many times a day? We can’t avoid it now; computers are an essential part of our lives. They help us in completing every day errands that were more time consuming, thus saving our time and gas.

The two most essential parts are having a remarkable computer and a dependable internet server. You can find more relevant computer information at http://www.mycomputingnews.com. Fine you have taken care of the cable connection, now it is time to obtain the most appropriate PC or Mac to make use of the internet connection. Luckily you can find the best buy for yourself, all you got to do is go online and compare computer prices.

Who have you chosen as you current net pal? I am referring to laptop, desktop or notebook. Well your main aim is getting the finest deal possible regardless of the style or dimensions. Thus comparing prices should be a vital part of you buying process. Have you compared the recent PC’c and Macs? Can you differentiate between them? In any case, a PC uses Windows, for those that would like to know and as for the Macs, they are on a distinctive track.

Although it did make any difference to me, initially, a visit to the Apple store changed all that. Now-a-days Mac seems to be much easier as compared to a PC. Also spy-ware or viruses have never troubled me on a Mac. But they used to be a common site on my PC. This information is for you to ponder on. Also, the intended use of the computer should be a parameter while you compare computer prices.

Paying a bomb for a top grade computer with all the facilities money can buy, will not be a good idea if you are not going to use it. 3-400 dollar might just be what you require to get a Dell desktop. That is really a bargain, taking into account what we used to shell out for a home computer

It won’t be an easy task to unearth the deal you are looking for. The important thing is that continue to compare computer prices of PCs or Macs till to happen to stubble upon the deal that is perfect for you and your needs. With the World Wide Web at your beckoning, this should not be too tough. Start comparing computer prices by getting online. Search for that electronic pal, who will be with you at work and play.

Ron Electrik enjoys writing for the following internet sites: Techie Hut

Is Your Computer Up To The Task?

I am going to start a short series on computers. I have many blogs, on one I have a series that discusses the difference in daily income based on the quality of computer. In fact, we came to the conclusion that bloggers can increase their income 20% (minimum) by upgrading their computer. This lead me to wonder if you couldn't type more a day.

I often have people ask how I can type 10 000 words in a day. At first I thought it might have been talent, now I am not too sure. There is one thing that I do which most writers don't. I update my computer every 3 years.

I alwasy buy the best I can. In fact, the last one I built to meet my current needs. It is the fastest I could afford. More important, I always buy the newest computer software. In fact, I will wait until the new software is out before buying software.

So, I decided to start a series on purchasing computers.

Make Money Writing

One of the best ways to make money writing is to write reviews. It doesn't matter what types of reviews you want to write, you can write everything from book reviews to life insurance quotes.

It takes so long to write a book that many writers need to fill in the years before their first royalty statement arrives. However, there is another reason why I suggest that writers start writing as freelance writers.

A more important reason to start writing for pay is that it will help you learn how to work with editors and publishers. Many writers get their first writing contract, only to loose it because they are so afraid of publishers and editors that they stress out and are unable to give their best work.

It is much better to have been published, and validated as a writer, long before you submit your first book.

How To Make Your Writing Meaningful

Writing a book is a huge endeavor. It means someone has decided to dedicate a certain amount of time to putting words on paper. But so many people don't finish what they start. Maybe they've run out of ideas. Maybe they lost interest. Maybe they got hopelessly stuck. However I believe the core of all these issues lies in one thing: the writer doesn't know why he or she is writing in the first place.

All you have to do before you venture into the ever-tangled writing forest is leave a few breadcrumbs behind so you'll know how you got there and you'll know the way out! Lay them out by asking yourself the following questions about your work. Use them to challenge yourself, to get inspired, to put your writing front and center in your life. It's hard to get lost when you know exactly where you are.

What Do You Have to Say?
Here's another way to put it: what story are you telling? What is your point in writing this story or work of non-fiction? If you can't answer in a concise way, take some time to think about your message. It can be a huge one, such as a belief about how we all should live. It can be simple such as, "family is important". The big message in my novel was about the power of love in a family. I think I will always write about families because I believe the story of our families is the story of who we are in our hearts. I find the subject touching, challenging, inspiring.

As you think about your message, realize that ideally you shouldn't have to write it down. It should come from the core of your being and you understand it because it is a part of your natural thought process: it is who you are. Take another look at what you have written in the past because your message may be showing up already in your work and you haven't noticed it yet. This is the way August Wilson described the story that was at the core of his whole body of work: "I once wrote a short story called 'The Best Blues Singer in the World' and it went like this: 'The streets that Balboa walked were his own private ocean, and Balboa was drowning.' End of story. That says it all. Nothing else to say. I've been rewriting that same story over and over again. All my plays are rewriting that same story. I'm not sure what it means, other than life is hard."

Who Will Benefit from Your Words?
You will find the motivation to return to your desk each day when you think about what may happen when someone reads your work. Will there be women who can be healthier mothers because you are writing about battling post-partum depression? Will there be men who might feel closer to their fathers because you're writing the next Field of Dreams? When you think of your reader, it takes some of the pressure off of you because you realize the importance of getting the message to him or her. You think less of how you're coming across.

Are You Writing in a Medium That Best Suits Your Message?
I used to write poetry. I loved it too, but somewhere along the line I felt the things I had to say became harder and harder to fit into the confines of verse. I moved over to prose and never went back. I wrote for magazines and experimented with essays before settling into novel writing. August Wilson had written poetry and was working on a novel, but his talents glowed when he wrote for the stage. If you're having trouble completing a project, consider whether you are writing in a medium that is right for you and your message. Don't be afraid of experimenting with other forms. You can always go back to what you were doing before if it doesn't work out.

Step Down from the Soap Box
Writing is already powerful. The fact that people are reading what you write means they are already interested, maybe even absorbed, by what you have to say. You don't have to get up on a soap box and belabor your points to get them across. A simple story can speak volumes about the big picture if you let it. Mr. Wilson once told The Paris Review, "I think my plays offer (white Americans) a different way to look at black Americans. For instance, in 'Fences' they see a garbageman, a person they don't really look at, although they see a garbageman every day. By looking at Troy's life, white people find out that the content of this black garbageman's life is affected by the same things - love, honor, beauty, betrayal, duty. Recognizing that these things are as much part of his life as theirs can affect how they think about and deal with black people in their lives." Get it? Small story, big picture.

One Last Note
I know I'm waving the "big theme" flag here, but what I really want for you is for you to feel the passion of what you're writing. You may be passionate about a big message or you may be passionate about the simple question of "what happens next?" in your story (and you really want to know the answer!) Just connect with that passion and go with it because to me, this is how books get finished--when someone really cares enough to want to get to the end.

Sophfronia Scott, "The Book Sistah," is author of the bestselling novel, All I Need to Get By. If you liked today's issue, stay tuned for more because The Book Sistah also offers FREE audio classes, FREE articles, workshops, and other resources to help aspiring authors get published and market their books successfully. The Book Sistah, 230 South Main St. Ste. 319, Newtown, CT 06470 203-426-2036, Info@TheBookSistah.com

Writing - How Do You Make Money?

How do you make money from writing?

You have to decide the areas you are willing to compromise in. Very few people write what they want and sell it. Even established authors have to give their regular readers more of the same genre.

So, choose EITHER 1 OR 2

1. Do you want to be totally free to choose what you write?
2. Do you want to have a good chance of making money?

OPTION 1 - Writing what you want

A lot of people have a dream of having a book published, but they have no idea where to start.

The Internet is a great source of help for these aspiring writers. There are forums, help groups and websites designed to help writers to develop their talent and find their niches. No longer does the writer spend a fortune sending proof copies to every publisher they can find. Nowadays he or she can find lists of publishers, both traditional and Internet based, who are looking for materials.

There are sites where you can post your story and get paid every time someone downloads or reads it. There are programs that will help you turn your poems or stories into e-books that can be sold on ClickBank, allowing readers to use their credit cards, without you going to the expense of getting a Merchant Account.

You can download e-books that guide you step by step through the brainstorming and writing process. The software will help you to structure your characters and story line.

There are other sites where a mentor will guide your writing development. Some of these mentoring sites are even free.

There are publishers who print your book on demand, if they get an order they print one off. This means that they are not investing capital in producing thousands of books for which there is no proven market.

You can pay to have your book published privately, and this option is cheaper than it ever used to be, but if your writing is good, you will find a way to have it published without paying a cent.

OPTION 2 - Making money from what you write

There are hundreds of thousands of e-zine and website owners on the Internet who are positively crying out for content. They need content in order to increase their search engine popularity and make more money from advertising. There are lots of websites where freelance writers bid to write content for these Internet publishers.

If you value your writing then compete on quality only. There are many people willing to work for peanuts in the world. These people, in low wage economies, need less money than you do. Their English is often poor and the articles that they write are appalling in terms of content, spelling and grammar. You cannot compete on price, so do not even think about it.

You can also write articles and submit them to print magazines. Read a few magazines and find the sort of work they are looking for. Submit articles on similar subjects and in a similar style to those you read. Payment ranges from $50 to $500, depending on the publication and article length. If you are planning a long article, that you are hoping to be well paid for, then you are better off submitting a proposal to the magazine, before you start writing. This will save a lot of heart-ache.

Wanda Cortez makes her living by writing on the Internet. She has two teenagers. More info here.

Investing

Investing is something that most writers are involved in. We must manage our own retirement funds. There is no pension waiting for us at the end of the road. That is why most writers invest a certain portion of their income from each book.

The current most popular method of investing is 'property investing.' People are buying and selling condos, properties, and Condo Hotels through online sites.

It doesn't matter what investment you chose, the important thing is that you start investing - right from the start. Do not wait until you are 'making good money' or you 'hit the big time.'

How to Get Published: Fiction Writing Mistakes

A couple months ago my computer system crashed. Because I had moved to a new town, I took my computer to a new repair technician. An appalling $250.00 later, my computer was returned to me. As I scanned down the list of tasks they had performed, I could not see one thing that I could not have done myself. Not only did they perform tasks I could have executed myself, they used the software I had already installed on my own computer. I sat stunned for a while, then had to laugh. I have been trying to teach my writing students this same lesson for more than four years. With a little knowledge, you can edit your own novels and find out why they are not published.

“How do I get my novel published?” If I had to guess, I would say that ½ of the 3000 students I have taught ask me this question at one time or another. I can usually offer them a quick, easy answer. In many cases, the answer is so easy they reject it as a brush off. But, the truth is, it is often very simple things, and easy to repair problems, that keeps fiction novels from being published by a reputable publisher.

Read over the following list carefully. Learn to understand what these errors are. Use this list as a checklist. I tell unpublished authors to edit their novel for these things, one at a time. Yes, this is a lengthy editing exercise. But, compared to the amount of time it takes to submit a manuscript once, and have it rejected once, the amount of time spent editing will be well spent. By editing this way, one problem at a time, you will learn to avoid these mistakes as you write the first draft, making future novels easier to write.

Learning to eliminate these errors is one-half the battle of becoming a published author. The craft of writing is half learning how to write, and half learning to avoid the things listed below.

I have edited a lot of student manuscripts, both as a freelancer, teacher, and contracted editor for a publishing company and found that the errors listed below comprise at least 90 percent of the problems which keep novels from being published. Most are easy to avoid, if you are aware of them, and can be fixed or avoided easily, once you can spot them.

Read, Read, Read

There is one exercise in my course where writers plan to send their first manuscript. Almost every writer gives me a ‘copy and paste’ listing out of a publisher’s directory. If you have no idea what a publisher is releasing, then how will you know if your book fits their idea of a good book? Read their recent releases. This one exercise can eliminate most of the rejection letters writers receive. Almost unanimously, students who take my advice and read a couple books released by their prospective publishing company, thank me for helping them waste their time. Their book did not fit what that company thought was a publishable novel. Something in their novel was different from what that publisher released. It could have been their grammar style, voice, structure, characters, vocabulary, plots, or missing elements. A dozen things could make that publisher reject your novel. However, it does not mean your novel is not ready to submit.

One truth I have found is; Avid readers make the best writers. This is true, as long as you consistently read novels in the genre, style, and voice you want to read.

If you are an avid reader, then look at the back of the books you are reading. That is the best place to find a publisher.

Are You Ready to Submit

This is the biggest problem. It is the one reason why I tell authors to have a ‘fiction editor’ critique over their novels. It will cost about $200.00, but can save you dozens of rejection letters, maybe years of submitting and rejections, and a lot of heartbreak. However, it is necessary to find a good editor. Have they ever worked for a fiction publisher? How many published novels have they edited? A BA in English, or an ex-teacher will not help you write a marketable fiction novel. You would not ask a airplane mechanic to fix your car. You would never think about asking your neighbor who installs satellites to ‘take a look’ at your furnace because it is making a funny sound. But, every day people pay academic editors to edit their fiction. Or they ask ‘line editors’ to critique their novels when they should be asking ‘content editors’ to help them.

Most of the writers who send me a manuscript to edit or critique send me a first or second draft. The novel is full of grammar mistakes, plot holes, weak characters, and passive writing – which is different than passive voice. This is easy to solve. You will study the craft of writing, so why not learn how to edit?

Structure

It is easy to learn what a story arc is. It is easy to learn how to map a novel, and write your own story arc based on what is on today’s bestsellers lists. There are dozen’s of courses that teach ‘the blueprint of a novel’ and mapping. First, learn what the elements of a novel are. You can do that from any book. Then, find a few good examples of story arcs. Next, write out the events, elements, plot points, and character growth of the novel you are mapping. When done, make it look like the story arc, or make your own blueprint.

It takes about 20 hours to make your own story arc based on your genre, and current bestsellers. You can map anything, structure, plot, supporting plots, character growth, and sub-plots.

When writers rebel, stating that this is formula writing, or that this takes the creativity out of writing, I reply with this story. You have $15 000 which is earmarked for home renovations. Your best friend approaches you, all excited, and offers to do the work for you. You are confused, because your friend is a hairdresser. Would you give a hairdresser your $15 000 to do renovations on your house? What if friends did not want to know what style you were looking for, did not care about your color scheme, and had their own ideas about comfort and luxury? Would you give them your money? However, people ask publishers to do this every day.

Writers need to understand one fact. You are writing for the reader, not yourself. Reader’s demands drive the fiction publishing industry. If the reader does not like the novel, they will not buy it. And, readers do not want wild and crazy stories, they buy novels which promise a good reading experience.

Passive Voice, Passive Writing

This is the single most common error. New writers do not realize that passive writing creates ‘one degree of separation’ between the story and the reader. Passive voice is easy to catch with your grammar check. Passive writing is a little harder. Passive writing is narrative. Narration takes the reader out of the main character’s Point Of View (POV).

If this is your problem, then you need to take a course. If you are not sure, then look through your novel and ask these questions:

· Do characters actually do something, or does the sentence explain what the character did? Jill picked up her milk vs. Jill lifted the glass and took a sip of milk.
· Do you use these words: was, were, had, that, still, felt, noticed, saw, just, nice thought, up, down, beautiful, dark, tall, almost, very, down, up, behind, and pretty. If you find more than five of these words on your pages then you need to learn how to remove them. In many cases these words can be eliminated if you reconstruct the sentence so the main character’s actions are the subject of the sentence.
· Do you stop the action to explain why a character is doing something?
· Are you telling the reader a story? Or, are you writing down segment of the character’s life, as it happens, describing exactly what you, the writer, sees as it is happening?
· Do you use gerunds, ‘ing’, words instead of verbs?
· Do you use weak verbs? Jill ran vs. Jill’s feet pounded the pavement. Jill was angry vs. Jill slammed the door and stomped across the hall.
· Do you summarize? Look at the example above. You’ll notice that the passive examples are shorter than the active examples.
Passive voice is okay in dialogue. We talk in passive voice, so it is okay if your character’s talk in passive writing.

Summary Narrative

Direct narrative

Jill walked down the hall, descended the stairs, and pushed open the door. She crossed the parking lot and entered Kim’s Café

Summary narrative

Jill went to Kim’s Café.

HeadHopping

One scene, One Point Of View. You are not Nora Roberts. You cannot sell the number of novels she can. So, you cannot get away with writing like she does. Make sure every sentence in a scene comes out of the POV character’s head.

I tell my students to try this exercise. Pretend you are standing at a window looking in at the scene unfolding. Beside you stands a blind friend. You are going to tell her what is happening, as it happens. Do not summarize, paint pictures with words.

This is part one of this series of articles. None of the mistakes listed here are arbitrary. They are all based on rejection letters, discussions with publishers, and personal experience. You can break these rules. You can break these rules, as long as you realize that it will take longer to find a publisher who wants your novel. I do know authors who make these mistakes, and sell a novel or two a year. This is not unusual. The stronger your writing skills are, if you consistently study the craft of writing, and if you master the elements of a novel, then you will be able to break the rules and get away with it.

Suzanne James is a published author, a freelance editor who has worked as a publishing house editor, public speaker, and a teacher who teaches the craft of writing and line editing online at www.writersonlinecourses.com She publishes at www.inspiredauthor.com, www.authorsconnection.com . Her private website is www.writer-writer.com . And is the author of “Are You Ready to Submit: A Fiction Writer’s Self-editing guide?”

What is Your 'Genre's Promise'?

What is Your 'Genre's Promise'?

This month we will study ‘the fiction novel’s promises,’ and how we use them to write and sell fiction.

There are rules that govern fiction writing. Most are soft rules that can be broken when the story needs a twist or to jar the reader emotionally. Experienced writers can break the rules and still sell their novel. This is not true of the genre’s promises.

Each genre is built around fundamental promises that must be kept if a writer dreams of becoming a published author. These promises define a book’s genre. The following examples give a brief definition of some genres.

· The Heroine is the heartbeat of a romance novel, but if the story focuses on her and not the romance, the novel fits the woman’s fiction genre. The reader expects a certain type of story, character, conflict, and experience, whether it is emotional release, fantasy, or fun.

· The Hero drives a fantasy novel forward, but if a troupe of characters do not accompany him or her, the novel is an adventure, or historical adventure.

· The Victim keeps readers turning the pages of a thriller, if the main character is not a victim the novel is more likely a mystery.

The novel’s readers expect certain elements to be included in a novel, in the right place. When they browse the bookstore shelves, they are looking for a novel that promises a satisfying, emotional experience. The romance reader expects the story will be driven forward by the character's motives and actions. This makes romance novel’s plots character driven. If the situations and events move the plot forward, the romance reader will be disappointed with the story.

Readers also abhor the presence of author intrusions, except in fantasy novels. Author intrusions are situations where the author takes the liberty to resolve a story's conflicts by interrupting the natural sequence of events, or cause and effect, to include a situation from their imagination, instead of drawing on the character's motives and goals. This is true of most situational driven plots.

The fiction novel reader also expects the character to have weaknesses that will make them real. When the reader picks up a novel, they expect a certain aspect of emotional growth in the character. This is true in all genres. The character must grow until they are worthy of a happy ending, even if the reader had a bad day. A novel does not work if the reader resents the character’s good luck or success.

“Will the reader think this character is worthy of a happy ending, one which is denied the person reading the story?” I have helped many writers who were told their story suffered from a weak ending. I suggested that the reader resented the character’s happy ending, believing they were not worthy of it. I asked the writer to read their work, with the genre’s promises in mind, and give the reader what they want and expect. In the writing industry, we call this “meeting reader demands.” After all, this is the purpose of fiction. We write for the reader, not ourselves. If the reader is not happy, there is no reason to publish the novel or short story. If the reader is not happy, they will not buy another one of our books.

However, many writers forget that each genre offers their reader's a specific promise. The reader knows the couple in a romance novel will overcome their problems, resolve the conflicts, and make a life long commitment in the end. The mystery novel promises the reader the detective will have a hard time figuring out who the criminal is, but when the reader looks back at the clues, it will be obvious. The thriller genre promises readers the characters will become emotionally involved in a life and death fight, and the protagonist will not necessarily have a happy ending, but the characters will find the emotional stability and contentment they desire. If the novel does not provide this emotional experience, then it fits the spy or adventure genre.

Writers break their genre’s promises when the character’s personality types are not compatible with each other. For example: when picking an antagonist, or Villain, the reader forgets to make them the opposite of the protagonist, or Hero. To use a comic book term, the Villain must be the Hero's nemesis. This is a very important aspect of most novels.

This is why writers need to understand their markets, genres, and why certain readers are drawn to a particular type of story. Let’s say you are writing about a woman whose nurturing side enables her to defeat the large corporation that is preparing to destroy her home. Logic may indicate the Amazon archetype will be the best character type for this story. No. The Amazon type will die before surrendering their independence, but they will not risk everything save strangers or an ideal like ‘hearth and home.’ This personality type is motivated by self-gain, so there must be a personal benefit before they fight. While they Amazon is the wrong choice for a romance or woman’s fiction, she is perfect for a thriller or Sci-Fi.

Picking a personality type for a character is not hard. The Internet is full of articles and personality tests that writers can use to create the perfect characters. Best sellers are a great place to look for the reader’s idea of a perfect couple, hero, or troupe, depending on the genre. I do not suggest you copy characters from a published novel, but studying what the readers expect in the characters and plot will save months of rewrites, heartache, and rejection for writers of all genres.

The concept of a story’s promise is widely used in the fiction publishing industry. To explore these promises a writer needs to look at several different fiction genres. You will see that different genres can have the same types of characters, similar protagonists and antagonists, the same conflicts, resolutions, climax and black moment. But, they unfold at different paces and have varying emotional impacts on the readers. This is the result of the story's promise.

Here are some examples of how each genre unfolds to elicit different emotional responses from the readers.

· A fantasy novel promises the reader an adventure where a troupe of mismatched characters overcome impossible odds, conflicts, and complete a quest with nothing more than luck, team work, and magic. The character in the fantasy novel may have problems related to their back-story that prevents them from realizing their full potential.

· The thriller promises a roller coaster ride of story twists that create an unpredictable ending.

· A Sci-Fi novel promises the reader a team of intelligent people will survive on their wits alone. They need to dig deep inside them discover strengths, weaknesses, and how to work as a team, if they want to survive.



The Hero in a Sci-Fi who is self-efficient, Type A, and emotionally stable, would be completely unsuitable for the fantasy novel. So, the Sci-Fi takes the character on a journey from self sufficient individualist to team oriented survivor, while the fantasy takes the same character from homebody, or no-body to self-sufficient hero. The difference in these two genre’s promises force the characters down different paths toward their character growth. To some writers, this seems like a minor problem, but it can be a major problem when it comes time to pitching a novel to the publisher.

Broken promises also cause plot problems, especially when the writer puts their own personal wants and needs first. Writers, like everyone, have their own problems. They are on their own journey of emotional and character growth. In many cases, they write a book for self healing, and then wonder why editors don't take the time to read it, or publishers send them form rejection slips. The person who bought a novel chose it because the story promised to reach a need in their lives. It promised a satisfying ending, characters who the reader could care about, and a plot that will unfold in an interesting and entertaining manner. When a novel or short story fails to unravel in the proper sequence, and in an entertaining way, the reader feels let down.

The romance reader wants to read about selfless characters. This reader will not relate to the Amazon archetype’s motives and goals. That is why a clever writer knows their reader and gives them familiar characters. This is why I suggest that all writers join reading clubs, yahoo groups, fan clubs, and even create their own groups and newsletters. These will all give them a chance to study the very people who will be reading their fiction.

These promises are used when writing, submitting, and pitching a novel. New authors can learn how to do this. First, study the genre from published books and the Internet. Second, a smart writer reads their genres best sellers. One habit reappears consistently in the lives of every published author I know. It is secret that takes the mystery out of the craft of writing. Simply put it is, “avid readers make the best authors.”

Published writers and avid readers, can usually list the popular authors and best selling books in their genre, because they read them. They know their market, and they know their reader.

Next, a wise writer makes sure the genre's promises are the foundation of the themes and subplots in their stories. A good story makes the genre's promises a focal point in the story, not just a vague subplot. Taking the time to read best sellers will prove this is a fact, not just a theory.

Finally, they will write their sales pitch, synopsis, query letter, and promotional material around these promises.

There is a big difference between fiction and marketable fiction. In many ways, the craft of writing is unforgivable, but a skilled writer can use the rules to free themselves from the formulas that are used to create marketable fiction. All a writer needs is a little creativity and a solid understanding of the elements that are common in all good fiction. If you are ready to write your break out novel, or if you are trying to write your very first novel, then it is time to start focusing on the genre’s promises and using them to meet the reader’s demands.

Most importantly, you need to remember one thing – have fun.



Suzanne James is a published author and freelance content/line editor, and author of “Is Your Manuscript Ready To Submit?” To date she has edited 10 published novels. More than one was nominated for, or won, national awards including the EPPIE.

She has taught more than 2000 writers in her online courses, How to Write and Edit a Novel, Write Well: Prose to Proofreading, and How to Write Romance at www.writersonlinecourses. She also teaches at writer’s workshops and continuing education course in Southern Ontario.

She hosts two sites designed to teach new writers, and help published authors promote themselves. www.inspiredauthor.com www.authorsconnecction.com

Her personal website is at www.writer-writer.com

Editing Is Your Friend

As an editor, I find many writers have either edited their work too much or too little.
The key is to edit well enough to create a great story, but not too much that your work no longer has heart.
A lot of novel authors believe the golden word limit is 100 000. This is not always the case. Many publishers, big and small, prefer the word limit to be around 90k or even under. One of my publishers is UK hardback publisher Robert Hale Ltd. Their word count is approx 73 000 words. Always check the publisher’s guidelines, if possible.
Now some writers will be horrified that their beloved opus is a massive 300k words, and they refuse to cut a single word from it, but honestly think of the bigger picture — money. Publishers are companies out to make money, some foster careers, too, but mainly it is money and it is silly to think otherwise. For them to make money they have to create marketable books that will sell. If your book is a massive tome, do you think that the average publisher is going spend an awful lot of time and money on something that will be priced above all the competition?
When writers are confronted by the prospect of cutting words, they panic and think it can’t be done without destroying plots and characters.
In actual fact, most writers will learn that there is a skill to trimming word count. Once that skill is learnt, they can apply it to other works, and also this will change the way they write future manuscripts.
Sometimes, the act of cutting words from the manuscript is simply a case of re-writing the odd paragraph, of eliminating passive writing or over telling, deleting repeated or redundant words. Look for instances where you have explained the same thing more than once, but perhaps in different ways or by different character’s viewpoint. There are many good websites built to aid writers in writing the best work they can. I have a list on my website of several such websites.
http://www.annewhitfield.com/writingwebsites.html

In the end, write the story of your heart, but edit it with a business mind and the chances are you’ll have a better prospect of becoming published and the journey with your future editor may be also smoother.
Good Luck!
Anne Whitfield, author and editor.
http://www.annewhitfield.com

Horror Writing - Ten Cliches to Avoid

For anyone thinking about writing in the horror genre, there are certain situations that, over the years, have been done so often that the audience knows exactly what to expect. Using any of these is fine if you're being post-modern and ironic as in the Scream series, because you can get the audience laughing as they jump. But if you're trying for the big scare, here are some situations to avoid, and alternative scenarios to consider.

The woman alone in the old dark house

She's usually blonde, big breasted and not very bright. She shouts things like "Who's there?" or "Is that you Joe?" Then she goes into dark rooms to see what's in them. Tippi Hedren plays a fine example in The Birds, as does Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween. This scene has been so successfully lampooned by the Scream series that its going to be hard for anyone to do it again; but if you must, you'll need to find a new way of raising the tension. Making the woman blind has been done, as has having a man being stalked by a woman. But how about having the stalker existing inside mirrors, and only able to reach out at arms length. What happens if he gets a knife?

The kid who's Mom isn't Mom any more

The kid says "That isn't my mom" A smug doctor says, "It's all in your mind kid: The Mom leads the kid off, and the next day both Mom and the kid give the doctors far-away stares. This was a staple in 1950's paranoia flicks like Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Invaders from Mars, and was given a new lease of life in Dark Skies. Serious thought is needed to give a new slant. How about if its the pets that are getting taken over, and only the kids notice?

The experiment gone wrong

They say things like "Morals are for lesser mortals" and "The ends justify the means" Then their creation jumps up and bites them. Think of all the movie versions of Frankenstein or Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and you can't go far wrong. A more recent example was Beau Bridges in Sandkings, the pilot for the modern Outer Limits. Anyone planning on using this scenario should really meet some scientists. Many of them are weirder than their fictional equivalents, and they provide great material for stories.

The mob of villagers

Sometimes there's a ringleader, such as an old woman whose grandchild has been killed. Other times there's just an angry mob shouting "Rhubarb" and waving torches. Perhaps the best example is actually in a spoof, Young Frankenstein. How about trying a calm mob? I can't think of a new way of doing this that would be scary, but maybe you can do better?

The priest who's lost his faith

There are two ways this can go. The creature says "Your feeble god means nothing to me" and kills the priest in particularly gory fashion. Or the creature says "Your feeble god means nothing to me" and the priest steps up to the base and drives the creature away. There are fine examples of the first in Stephen King's Salem's Lot, and John Carpenter's The Fog. You could try having the creature banishing the priest to hell? I haven't seen that one... yet.

Running through woods in the dark

People run around in the dark, shouting things like "Mulder, where are you?" and waving flashlights, followed all the time by a malevolent presence in the trees. This is otherwise known as The Blair Witch Project. The idea was taken to extremes in Pitch Black where there wasn't even hope of daybreak to come. A variation would be to do it in daylight, but Big Arnie covered that in Predator. How about having the monster as an urban creature that is actually afraid of the woods when chased into them? Time for that angry mob again perhaps?

Playing with dark forces

Somebody says "Let's play with Grannie's Ouija board" The next thing you know a planchette is flying around the room on its own. This idea has turned up a lot on TV recently, and usually involves scantily clad girls, in shows like Charmed and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.The way to use this scenario without looking tired is to find a new way of calling up the evil. How about a character who mouths the words as he reads them, thus calling up the beast by accident?

The love of a good woman

The monster dies an inglorious death and somebody says "T' was beauty that killed the beast" Our cavemen ancestors probably told this one round the campfires. On film it dates back to at least 1933 and King Kong. More recently there was a variation in the Beauty and The Beast TV series and even the Disney movie of the same name. Why not try having the beauty fall in love first while the beast never succumbs? You'd need to find a neat resolution to the story, but then again, you're a writer, so that'll be easy :)


Let's split up

Everybody knows that the monster is around somewhere, but someone says, "We're off to explore that dark place. You go the other way and we'll meet up later." Why does everybody always think this is a great idea? Just watch Buffy TVS and count how often the gang lose each other. Or go back to the original Scooby gang and watch Shaggy and Scooby get split up in every episode. Why not have them stay together for a change? Or maybe they keep in contact via cell phones to foil the bad guys. Or, better still, what about a monster that can split up and be in two places at once?

I'm free

The monster has been vanquished, the victor turns back to the other survivors to take the acclaim, and the suddenly resurgent monster chomps him to pieces. There are nice examples in Starship Troopers and Deep Rising. One way to subvert this would be to have another monster save your victim? Or how about doing something brave and have your monster die first time?

Conclusion

I'm off to write my new script "Chomp!" It starts as a mob of angry villagers storm the lab of a mad scientist who has been dabbling in powers man is not meant to understand. The priest with the mob is killed by a "creature" that escapes into the forest.

A year later 10 nubile teens are shipwrecked on the island. They split up to search the area and find themselves being chased by a mutated man-beast, half-man, half Komodo Dragon. Soon there's a lot of running through forests at night, and a tense scene where a blonde is trapped in the ruins of the lab.

The big climax comes when the last two of the teens confront the monster. The boy thinks he's killed it, and turns back in triumph, only for the beast to rear up and dismember him.

In a poignant final scene the last girl cradles the monster's head in her lap and weeps as it dies.

Do you think it will sell? If your answer is "No", what would you do to make it work?