Off Kilter

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     I have been asked what I am currently working on, so I thought I would share with you what has been going on.  Over the last two months, I haven't done much work on my novels.  Having offered up my first novel for a beta read and deciding not to continue working on the third novel until I finalized the first two, for fear of creating an inconsistent mess, I turned my focus to the second novel in the series.  I would sit down with a broad vision of what I wanted to happen and words would make their way onto the page as I tried to build the bridges I needed to reach my destination, but something just didn't feel right.  Something just kept gnawing at me, preventing me from making any real progress and for the longest time, I just couldn't quite put my finger on what it was.

     Even after getting feedback from the beta readers, I wasn't gung-ho about getting back to work like I had hoped.  I thought that maybe I just needed to stew on the feedback and work things out mentally, but it wasn't that simple.

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Other than a few notes here or there, I had absolutely no drive to write and it was making me so anxious that I didn't know what to do with myself.  So, when faced with a case of what I like to call "writer's dunce", I did what I usually do; I turned to reading as a means of clearing my head and gaining a fresh perspective.  After reading three novels, I still didn't have the urge to jump back into my work and I still hadn't pinpointed the source of the problem.  Normally, before I've even finished reading one novel, I'm filled with ideas and the urge to get back to work, so this was troublesome.

     In addition to reading books, I started reading critiques and discussion boards, not only on the books I was currently reading, but on others in genres similar to my own work, that I had read in the past.  Some of the discussions helped to bolster my confidence that I was doing some

things right, avoiding some of the pitfalls that caused the most grief for readers of my intended genre.  I think somewhere along the way, I subconsciously began to realize why I was having such a hard time continuing with my own work.  It wasn't immediately apparent to me, but the more discussions I read, one by one eliminating the doubts that were clouding my thoughts, the clearer it became.  My problem, it would seem, is that I had completely lost the essence of what I was trying to achieve.  

     I had set out to write a vampire story laced with romanticism.  What I ended up with, was something altogether different; a romance novel with a vampire twist.  My main character was a watered down version of who I wanted her to be, of who she is, epitomizing the weak, dependent females so often featured in romance novels.  This was not what I had wanted at all and the further I had written into the story, the stronger this theme seemed to weave its way into my novels.

     

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How could I be expected to keep writing when my work was starting to get on my own nerves?  I think that somewhere deep inside, my main character was trying to tell me that I wasn't writing her story correctly.  Sure, the events were unfolding as they should, but I hadn't painted her in the the right light.  Vampires are meant to be hardcore; so dark that they terrify you, but at the same time beguile and intrigue you.

          Now that I have identified the problem, I need to work out how to go about fixing it.  It seems that I have quite the challenge ahead of me.

The Importance of Editing

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     Over the last month or so, I have been too unfocused to do any real writing.  To clear my mind and focus my thoughts, I turned to reading. Between beta reading for fellow writers and reading a few self published novels, one thing became blatantly clear.  A little editing can go a long way.

     In a 2009 article entitled "The Importance of Editing Your Writing" the author explains why editing is so critical.  Any author that wants to get published via traditional means, should already know that publishers look for work that is polished and well written.  If you want a publishing company to take your work seriously, you need to not only captivate them with your story, but show them that you are serious about your work.  Misspelled words and poor grammar send publishers a message that you are unprofessional.

     Don't think that editing is any less important if you intend to self publish your work.  Although you may not be trying to woo a publisher, you still need to keep your readers in mind.  Some readers are extremely adroit and will notice every mistake you make.  This can lead to a frustrating reading experience that may cause the reader to stop reading and perhaps even be turned off from any of your future work based on this poor experience.

     For those readers that are not as easily swayed by typos, it can still lead to a poor reading experience.  Some readers use books to escape to far away worlds or to take a journey with the characters, focusing more on the entertainment factor.  But if an author makes poor word choices or words are missing or misspelled, it can break the spell of the story as the reader tries to make sense of what is written.  Even if the reader makes it through the story, they may be turned off from reading any more of your work.

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     During my own recent experiences, I've been tripped up due to poor editing or a complete lack of editing.  I could see the potential of some of the authors, but their rush to get their work published led to poor execution of their visions.  Initially, although I knew I would need to edit my work, I thought that it would be something I could do myself.  After seeing the short comings of not having work edited by an expert, I can now truly understand the value of paying for the service.  Beta readers are great for giving feedback on plot points and character or world development, but for a truly polished novel, it is worth spending the money to have someone go over your work with a fine toothed comb.

So Cliché

I've been so busy this week that my mind is complete mush. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't think of a topic for this week's blog. So instead of the usual literary drivel, I have decided to complete and share a recent piece that I have been working on entitled "So Cliché".

A thin line between love and hate.

So thin that it is virtually invisible;

Causing us to inadvertently cross over it again and again?

Pleasure and pain; two sides of the same coin.

Is the outcome truly as fickle as the flip of a coin;

The pursuit of pleasure oft times causing pain?

What you see is what you get.

But have we not been taught that we should never judge a book by its cover?

Is what I see truly what I get or merely a projection of what I wish to see?

Actions speak louder than words.

Show me, show me, you really love me.

But every so often, don’t forget to speak the words I long to hear.

Beauty is only skin deep.

Rather than focusing on the vain and waning superficial,

Let the beauty deep within your soul resonate and shine through to the world.

The eyes are the window to the soul.

The deeper the soul, the deeper I want to dive in,

Submerging myself in the essence that is you.

Seeing is believing.

Is not the very definition of faith, to have absolute belief in something you cannot see?

Beware of believing everything you see or you might get lost in the illusion.

Visual Appeal

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     For a while, I have been trying to figure out how to use media like YouTube to help promote my writing.  First, I thought, maybe I can record myself reading some of my poems or short stories and add music, like an audio book.  I’m not really photogenic though (even less so in video) so that didn’t turn out the way I had planned.  Then, I thought, maybe some still images and text screens like those videos people post of song lyrics.  But I didn’t have the software or resources I needed to do that, not to mention the lack of time to find them.

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     A few months ago, right around the time the thought first came to me, I came across a book “trailer” so to speak.  A NaNo author had created a video ad for her book The Night Circus and I thought See, now that’s what I’m talking about.  If only I was artistic enough to come up with my own visuals.

     Recently, I’ve come across an even more clever book trailer for Life After Life.  This one is even better than the first because while it is still comprised of images, they seem to move and rather than just having text with a soundtrack, it actually has a narration.  Again, my thought is If only I were artistic enough to do something like this.

     I fall flatly under the category of “Jack of all trades, but master of none.”  I know how to create PowerPoint slideshows like the one used in The Night Circus’ video, but at the time that I was originally considering this, the only place I had access to PowerPoint was at work, and as much as I would rather be working on my writing or writing related tasks, my job is not the place for something like that and I had all but put it out of my mind for a while.  Not too long ago though, I used a Google docs presentation file to create a slideshow of my casting wishlist if the Eye of the Vampire series were ever to be made into a movie (of course, given how much work I still have to do before the first book is even published, not everyone will still fit the bill if this were to ever happen.).  I know how to create a presentation, fancy effects and all, and I know how to get free stock photos that I could potentially use, but I still have the slight problem of needing music.

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     And even if I could find music that I’d be able to use, the whole thing would fall flat to me now that I’ve seen the Life After Life book trailer.  No matter how much programming and software I teach myself (hence the Jack of all trades, master of none), I’ll never be able to create something as imaginative and captivating as that.  And my cursed introversion prevents me from venturing out and asking anyone to help me with any concepts I do come up with.  Also, did I mention the fact that I am trying to do all of this while spending as little to no money as possible?  You get what you pay for and right now, I’ve got nothing!

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Defying the Rules

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     The beauty of writing fiction is that it is not real.  You can create a world as similar to or as far from reality as you please.  You can defy the laws of gravity and science and no one can tell you you are wrong.  Or can they?
 
     I have been following an interesting discussion on goodreads.com, where Twilight readers (I don't think I can really call them all fans), have been discussing Stephanie Meyers' approach to explaining how it was possible for Renesmee to be born.  For those of you that have never read any of the Twilight books or seen any of the movies, Renesmee is a vampire/human hybrid born to Edward (a vampire) and Bella (his human wife).  Despite what you might think, the discussion doesn't focus on the idea that a vampire baby in general is impossible, but rather the inconsistencies in Meyers' explanation of how Renesmee's existence is even possible.

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     The thread is particularly interesting to me, because I am writing a series where the main character is a single mother, who also happens to be a vampire.  I was interested to find out the general opinion on vampires having the ability to procreate.  My beta readers didn't even seem to bat an eye at the idea and one reader even mentioned that they appreciated this factor.  If there are readers that feel contrary, I'd like to hear their reasons why and see how those opinions compare to my work.  Of course, you can't please everyone, but why intentionally put people off if it can be avoided without changing the integrity of the story.

    Why is this even an issue, you might ask.  Well, it seems that the readers are having difficulty with the fact that Meyers tried to use real world science to explain how Renesmee came to be and in doing so, went against the "rules" of the world she had created.  In the discussion thread, the readers express (in quite an entertaining fashion) how Meyers' own rules contradict each other, making Renesmee's existence impossible and hard to swallow.  One particular participant, who goes by the name of Rel8tivity, wrote

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"If she had stuck with magic and some kind of vampire mojo that made babies, it would have been fine. But she started going into how many chromasomes a vampire had, so we're stuck with Mendelian genetics, and she didn't make it work in that regard. You can't have it both ways."  When challenged by other participants, who stated that the story is a work of fiction and thereby the author has the right to do or say whatever she wants, Rel8tivity counters that the label of fiction or even fantasy, does not give the author a "blank check" to contradict their own rules whenever convenient.

     While many people feel the discussion is examining the story far too deeply, it brings up a very valid point.  When we create a world where

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the impossible is possible, is everything possible?  A world without rules leads to chaos, so as an author, it is up to us to define what is possible and what is not.  But when our own rules make a particular plot point impossible, do we have the right to defy those rules and force the reader to accept that this impossible thing, even by our own standards, is happening just because we say so, waving the flag of fiction as our free pass to do so?

     When I began writing my series, I added the element of vampire children from the very beginning.  I knew that this is something that would be questioned and offered an "explanation" of how it is possible.  It's funny, but prior to reading the goodreads thread, I worried that readers might find my "vampire mojo" explanation to be a cop out.  Guess I can stop worrying about that now.

Simplify Your Style

     In school, we learn that in order to descriptively modify a verb, we add an adverb.  The adverb is used to modify a verb, adjective or other adverb to answer one of the following questions; how? how often? where? when? or in what way?  Most adverbs can easily be identified by their -ly ending, although not every adverb ends in -ly.

     In The Adverb Is Not Your Friend: Stephen King on Simplicity of Style, Maria Popova gives us some insight into Stephen King's view on adverbs.  "Adverbs, like the passive voice, seem to have been created with the timid writer in mind...With adverbs, the writer usually tells us he or she is afraid he/she isn't expressing himself/herself clearly, that he or she is not getting the point or picture across."  If you don't use an adverb to get your point across, how does the reader know things like the frequency or manner in which the action is carried out?  Simple.  The reader should be able to decipher this information for themselves from the prose leading up to the event.  If the preceding prose paints the proper picture, then the use of the adverb is redundant.

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     Stephen King likens adverbs to dandelions.  "If you have one on your lawn, it looks pretty and unique  If you fail to root it out, however, you find five the next day...fifty the day after that...and then, my brothers and sisters, your lawn is totally, completely and profligately covered with dandelions."  When trying to determine if or when to use an adverb, keep in mind, that simple is best and you want to use them sparingly.  "I insist that you use the adverb in dialogue attribution only in the rarest and most special of occasions...and not even then, if you can avoid it."

     As writer's we have to give our readers the benefit of the doubt that they will be able to figure out what we are trying to tell them without pointing it out.  "Fear is at the root of most bad writing."  Don't let your fear ruin your style.

Unscripted

     Last year in April, I took part in Script Frenzy for the first time.  Unlike NaNoWriMo, I found the whole experience easy and actually had fun doing it, while managing to not only meet, but exceed the goal for the month.  This year however, the Office of Letters and Light, has decided not to host Script Frenzy and are instead offering another session of Camp NaNoWriMo.

     Last year was also the first year that I participated in Camp NaNoWriMo.  I thought that joining a "cabin" would offer me the motivation I needed to meet my daily targets and thus, the target for the month.  If I was sharing the experience with others and saw their numbers growing, that would push me to keep up or maybe even try to do better.  Unfortunately, the experience didn't quite pan out the way I had expected.  Maybe it was the luck (or unluck) of the draw that found me in a camp with people that seemed even less motivated than I usually am.  How I managed to write far more than any of the other "campers" and still have my worst NaNo performance in the two and a half years that I had been participating, is beyond me, but their numbers barely budged and after the first few days, no one was even talking.  I'm not typically one that looks to chat with strangers, so normally, I would welcome the silence.  In this case however, I felt like it sucked some of the motivation right out of me.

Half Empty or Half Full?
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     Given that experience, can you blame me for being hesitant about joining again this year?  Add to that, the fact that I haven't really written or even edited anything in over a month and that I am in the midst of a huge project at work, which is sapping my energy and I can't help but see it as a recipe for disaster.  Is it being realistic or just plain old pessimistic?  Either way, I only have about two weeks left to decide what I'm going to do.

To camp or not to camp, that is the question.

The More They Know

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     Following a survey of Goodreads members, CEO Otis Chandler shares useful tips on ways authors can sell more books.  In an article by Jonathan Gunson (Goodreads CEO Reveals A Remarkably Easy Way To Sell More Books) the Goodreads CEO shares the results of the survey that asks readers "What do you want to do when you get to the end of a book?"

     An astounding 83% of readers surveyed say they want to find out what else the author has written.  To take advantage of the momentum built up after reading your book, Chandler suggests including a link to your next ebook or adding a book blurb.  The link should connect readers to a store where they can purchase other books that you have written, (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc...)  Adding an eye catching visual, such as the cover for another book(s) offers another form of advertising.  Surprisingly, Chandler advises that rather than offering a sample chapter, a blurb is much more affective.  The reason; having just read your book, readers are already familiar with your writing style and a blurb offers them a snapshot of the entire story, yet leaves them wanting more.

     In addition to these tactics, online resources are also essential.  Author pages and book pages on sites like Amazon and Goodreads can offer valuable information that readers will use when determining whether or not to buy your book(s).  Keeping these pages updated and accurate are extremely important.

To find out more about how you can use these techniques or to see the results of the survey, read Gunson's full article here.