Are you one of those writers who finds that the problem is not so much getting ideas, but keeping them at arm’s length so you can keep working on the current novel?

If you have two or three novels going at the same time (plus maybe a number of smaller projects) here are some tips:

1. Keep an ideas/characters notebook handy, or a computer file that sits on your desktop. If you suddenly get a great idea, make a note of it so you know it won’t get away, then go back to the work in progress.
2. If you have several novels on the go, then pick one to focus on. (The other one – or others – aren’t going anywhere. If you have a ‘dry day’ on the main novel, you can take a break by going back to the others – but set a time limit. Tell yourself you can only do this for a day, or two days. Then you have to go back and solve any existing problems with the first one.
3. If the problems on the first novel become a major roadblock, organise a session with some other writers to talk over the problem, or send it to a critique partner online. If necessary (and if you are REALLY committed to finishing it) then pay for a professional critique.

Whatever you do, resist dumping one novel to start another just because you hit a rocky patch. That happens with every novel, and it will happen with the bright sparkling new ones too… before too long, they will become ‘old’. There’s a real danger here of never actually finishing a book… and therefore never getting published.

Marg

Categories: General Tips, Plotting Your Story, Uncategorized
No Comments »

I get lots of emails and letters from writers. I get them from beginners; from those who are accomplished writers but are not yet published, and from published writers who are anxious to sell more. I share their dreams and their disappointments, their highs and their lows.

But you know what? I don’t know anyone whom I’d call an ‘overnight success’. When I listen to their stories, I find that they’ve been writing since childhood, or that they’ve been devouring books on writing or going to workshops and conferences for years. Occasionally I’ll hear a success story from someone who has not actually done a lot of writing — but then find that they’ve told hundreds of made-up stories to siblings, friends or their children. Many of the writers I hear from have held tight to their dream, doggedly scratching out the time they need to write around paid employment or eking out an existence so they can write full time.

Occasionally, I hear of someone who wrote a book then sent it out and got it accepted right away. So yes, I do HEAR these stories… but know anyone? No. And I suspect that this is true for most of us who slog away at our craft, day after day. We read about the odd ‘overnight success’ and wish that it could happen to us. BUT… we read far more stories about the writer who slaved away for years, then finally broke through.

And I guess there’s a great deal of satisfaction in knowing that you’ve earned every dollar and every positive review that comes your way!

Marg

Categories: Uncategorized
No Comments »

If you haven’t yet explored the world of writers’ podcasts, you have a treat coming.

You may not be aware of the range of podcasts that are available for you right now. You can listen to podcasts for regular writing shows (The Writing Show, The Survival Guide to Writing, various programs about books, and a whole lot more individual podcasts from authors’ websites). I have podcasts on the Writing4SuccessClub site featuring tips on writing and interviews with authors, such as the interview with Libby-Jane Charleston (“Light Sweet Crude”) that went up this week.

MP3 players are inexpensive and plentiful. Apple’s well-known iPod range features players that support video as well as audio, but for writing podcasts you can buy a standard player with plenty of memory for all those audio interviews. I like my tiny new iPod shuffle, which comes with a clip to attach it to T-shirts and a voiceover function so I can cycle through the various folders of podcasts and music without needing to see a screen. (Handy if you’re listening in bed with the lights out.)

Otherwise, I suggest you buy a player with a nice clear screen and easy controls so you can scroll through your podcast lists and choose the one you want to listen to. I’ve bought MP3 players without a screen (and no voiceover) and it’s a pain to find the right podcast.

You can download your podcasts into Windows Media Player, iTunes, or any of the other players you might have on your computer. You can then listen to them at your computer while you’re doing other things, or load them onto your portable MP3 player. To listen in the car, you can either burn the files to a CD (If your car audio system supports MP3 files) or plug in your player.

Just Google ‘Writers podcasts’ or ‘podcasts on writing’ and you’ll find plenty.

Here are a few to start you off:

http://www.americanwriters.com/

http://www.sydneywriterscentre.com.au/podcast.htm

http://www.pageflakes.com/sallie0/10498270/

http://flirtykitty.blogspot.com/2005/10/writing-podcasts.html

Marg

Tags: podcasts,podcasts for writers,writing podcasts
Categories: Uncategorized, podcasts
No Comments »

It’s not always possible to write in small snatches of time. Sometimes you need a decent block of time to get a run at what you’re doing, or to tackle a tricky scene.

However, there ARE times when you can grab small blocks of time and get a surprising amount of work done.

Last week, someone asked me to write an article at very short notice. I wanted to help out… but I had barely enough time to complete the tasks that were already on my to-do list. And (call me shallow) I wanted to watch 3 different shows on TV that night, inluding the finale of So You Think You Can Dance.

Unless I wanted to work on into the wee small hours of the morning (which I emphatically didn’t) I had the choice of ditching one of my other projects, or writing the draft of the article in the ad breaks.

I chose writing it in the ad breaks. In three hours of television, that’s quite a lot of writing time. And because it WAS an article, I was able to do it – quite easily! In small chunks of writing, I was able to:

• come up with an introduction
• list the main points I wanted to make
• write one or two paragraphs about each point, and
• write the concluding paragraph.

I wrote this using a pen and notepad.  The first edit was done by hand (still in the ad breaks) and the second edit took place the next day when I was entering the article into the computer. Then I left it for a couple of hours before doing the final edit – and sent it away.

Almost painless!

In short chunks of time, you can:

• Do a character profile
• Come up with a plot twist
• Write ten possible opening sentences
• Jot down ideas for endings
• Come up with some minor characters
• Browse through research material and jot down points

I know there are lots more things you can do to advance your writing using small snatches of time. Maybe you’d like to share them with us!

Marg

Categories: Uncategorized
2 Comments »

I’ve just finished reading another serial killer book: LEFT TO DIE, by Lisa Jackson. And as a reader, I’M STEAMING.

Why? Because the author left the story unresolved. There I was, reading eagerly to find out who the killer was – and how the detectives hunting him down nailed him – and I was left hanging. (I started getting worried when I was getting close to the end. There seemed to be a very thin sheaf of pages between me and the end of the book… enough to resolve the story properly? As it turned out… NO.)

The author tied up the loose ends with PART of the plot – who was after one of the characters and why – but failed to answer the question in my mind when I started the book: “Who is the killer targeting these women and how do they catch him?”

Instead (spoiler coming up if you’re a Lisa Jackson fan and you haven’t yet read this book): one of the detectives on the case is captured by the killer at the end of the book. We have to wait for the next book (which will be published in July 2009) to find out what happens.  

Did I think I was buying a book that needed a sequel to find out Who Dun It? NO. I’m left feeling cheated, annoyed, and frustrated. And angry enough with the author NOT to buy the next book (because I feel that this is a marketing ploy and I’m being forced into it.)

NOTE TO AUTHORS: Don’t do this to your readers. Even if you have a sequel, make sure you wrap up the main plot in the current book.

Phooey.

Marg

Categories: Uncategorized
4 Comments »

One of my subscribers emailed me this week to tell me about a friend’s experience – something that left her both angry and feeling frustrated because she wasn’t sure what kind of advice to give. Let me quote:

“This hasn’t personally happened to me (knock on wood) but a friend went through it, and it was difficult to give her advice, because I was too close to be objective. I wanted to go find that other writer and give her a talking to because she was simply unkind and ugly. My friend had blogged about her new ebook, and someone claiming to be a print author (who remained anonymous for obvious reasons) commented that if she was a real writer and had real talent then she’d be published by a real publisher. Then she wished my friend luck with “this little thing” she had going. It was one of the ugliest comments I’d ever read.

“My friend asked me if she should delete it, comment back, or what. Sometimes commenting back can start a war of words that harms everyone, but when someone writes such deliberately unkind things, the emotional response is so strong it’s hard not to just punch back.

“How should I handle this kind of situation while managing to stay professional?”

I know exactly what the person emailing me was feeling, and I’m sure most of you do, too. Yes, it is tempting to lash out and let that person know exactly what you think… but it can indeed start a slanging match that makes things worse, rather than better.

My feelings? Not only was the ‘phantom blogger’ unkind and patronising; she was wrong. eBooks are not going away: they are getting stronger. The advances in technology mean that we’re going to have ever more efficient and powerful eBook readers, and people will embrace them just as they did microwave ovens, phones you can slip into a tiny evening bag, and mobile internet. Yes, I love curling up with a paperback book – but if I were going away for a few weeks, I’d be happy to lighten the load by paying for and downloading a dozen books on a device that lighter than one paperback book, and much the same size.

But convenience aside, what the Phantom Blogger was saying was that ‘real’ authors are only published by conventional publishers and in a paper format. My response to that?

Hogwash! Publishers don’t always get it right: countless books that have been knocked back are later taken on by publishers after first going the self-published route. And if you need any more proof that the world is changing, and that authors are taking back power into their own hands, look at the music industry. The popularity and convenience of the iPod, and cheaper downloadable songs via iTunes, sent CD sales crashing. Furthermore, singers and garage bands all over the world are gaining a following on blogs, websites and social networking sites, selling their own songs – because people LIKE them, no matter what music producers think.

As for whether one should reply to this sort of comment – my inclination would be (if it’s on a blog) to respond with my own opinion – trying to keep it civil – and then move on. You could choose to close the post off from any further comments. If the comment is made on a forum, moderator can close the post there, as well.

If you have comments on this, please post them below! (Note that comments on this blog ARE moderated.)

Marg

Categories: Uncategorized
No Comments »

Should you create a ‘dummy’ picture book, or just send in the text to an editor and cross your fingers that she will share your vision?

Most advice you read from editors seems to warn you against illustrating your book unless you are a professional artist… but sometimes it’s a good idea to ‘dummy up’ your book simply so YOU get a better sense of how the pictures and words go together. You don’t have to send the result to an editor unless you’re happy with it. And if you ARE a competent writer/illustrator… it could help your cause.

But how do you go about this? What should you look for? Here are a few tips from Sarah Brannen: an excerpt from her full-length article. These tips should give you a starting point.

 ”There are almost as many ways to make dummies as there are people who make them, but I have asked a number of children’s author/artists, editors and agents what they prefer to see. Most of the advice in this article is meant for unpublished writer/illustrators.

It’s best not to write and illustrate your own book unless you are both an experienced artist and a competent writer. If you feel confident about both parts of the process, read on!

Basics

A dummy is a rough mock-up of your book, meant to show an editor the pace of your story, what images you plan to illustrate and your ideas for the design of the book. Will you have text on the left-hand page and illustrations on the right? Are you planning double spreads (illustrations which utilize both the left and right-hand pages) or spot illustrations on every page? Will the text be in boxes or will it float on the image? Will the artwork have borders or be full-bleed, going all the way to the edge of the page?

As both the writer and the illustrator, you will need to write, revise and polish your story, decide on page breaks and text placement, plan and sketch the illustrations and even decide where the dedication will go and whether you’ll have a title and half-title page.

Often, you will not choose the font of the text or design the cover and title page; the art director may design those, working with you and the editor. The editor and art director will both work with you on the illustrations.

Many illustrators start with storyboards and move on to small thumbnail dummies. No one but you will ever see them so you can do what works best for you.

The basic structure of a 32-page picture book is as follows. The cover and endpapers are usually not included in the page count.

* Page 1 is (usually) the title page; occasionally page 1 is a half-title page.

* Page 2 usually lists the copyright information.

* Page 3 is sometimes a half-title page, and sometimes a dedication, occasionally it’s the title page.

* Sometimes the story starts on page 3, but in the majority of cases the story starts on page 4 or 5 and ends on page 31 or 32.

* Although picture books can also be 24, 40 or 48 pages, it’s probably best for the beginner to stick with 32 pages, the length of the vast majority of picture books on the shelves. It gives the publisher one less thing to worry about, like marketing an unusual-length book.”

[Sarah's full length article is in the members' area of the Writing4SuccessClub site.]

Tags: Writing for Children
Categories: Uncategorized
1 Comment »

I’ve thought this for a long time, but now I just have to say it.

Who are you writing for?

Why is writing important to you?

Does it MATTER whether you get paid or not?

You see, everyone writes for different reasons. Some people love writing, but it’s vitally important to them that they get paid a living wage for doing what they love. And I can identify with that! I’m with you: I love to write (and I’d probably keep writing until the day I die, whether I got paid or not… just because I love it) but on the other hand… there’s nothing better than being paid to “follow your bliss”.

HOWEVER… let’s look at the other side of the coin. I’m thinking about people who write because they love it… but who would also dearly like to see their work in print. To them, earning money is not so important. It’s actually holding a book in their hands.

Their baby.

The book that took hours, weeks and months of hard work, editing and polishing.

Being able to hold a book like that is an affirmation, of sorts… that there is an actual physical product that represents all that work, rather than just a pile of printed pages.

You might have written a picture book. You might have written a book about your favourite hobby. You might have written a textbook on a subject that vitally interests you.

So… why shouldn’t you see it published? You don’t have to wait for a publisher to say ‘yes, I’ll publish your book.’ If you think you can sell enough copies to defray the costs, OR if it’s worth it to you to publish it just for the satisfaction of seeing the joy in your children’s/grandchildren’s eyes at seeing THEIR names in a story… then why not?

Only you can decide whether it’s worth it or not. Here’s my advice: decide how much it means to you to see your book in print. If you really want to do it, and you can afford it, then start looking at the options. AT ALL COSTS AVOID SCAM ARTISTS AND CON-MEN!!! (The Writing4Success Tipsheet article due out on January  30th, 2009 will contain an article about getting an agent that also warns you about scam artists.) Paying for self-publishing is vastly different from being conned.

This week (week starting January 26th) Tricia Stringer is Mentor of the Week in the Writing4SuccessClub Forums – and she’s telling you all about POD (Print on Demand) and associated costs/tasks. If you think it might be for you, then a discussion with Tricia could help you decide.

www.writing4successclub.com

Tags: Add new tag,Print on Demand,Self-publishing
Categories: Uncategorized
2 Comments »

There are scores of articles on the Internet offering guidance on writing a synopsis… just Google ‘writing a synopsis’ and you’ll find them easily.

Meanwhile, here’s a brief summary to guide you in writing your synopsis.

FIRST: Don’t make your synopsis a dull recital of facts. Use your writing skills to keep the synopsis moving along; to keep it sounding fresh and interesting. Summarise the plot. Think of the synopsis as a showcase for your talent.

What you should cover in the synopsis:

q  The main characters plus any significant secondary characters.

q  The setting. (Time and place: both geography and the workplace if applicable.)

q  The backstory — briefly: what motivates the characters.

q  The source of conflict.

q  The opening situation — what propels the plot.

q  Mood, style and tone — if your story is a tense techno-thriller, let the mood show through in your synopsis. Ditto for a romantic intrigue or a story set in another universe.

q  The major scenes — this is important. You can’t include every scene. Which are essential?

q  The climax — the big scene where everything works out. It’s important to write this part of the synopsis well.

q  The happy ending — show that you’ve tied up all loose ends and the reader will be satisfied.

SECOND: Pace your synopsis just as you do a novel. If you find it difficult to write the synopsis in the present tense, write it in the past tense first, then convert it.

Categories: Uncategorized
No Comments »

Do you sometimes think you were destined to be a writer?

A recent Writing4Success article has a tongue-in-cheek look at where you were ‘born to write’! There are seven signs… here are the first two:

1. You Were Born With a Pen in Your Hand

Well, not literally of course… but close! If you remember eagerly uncapping your pen at school to write about ‘What I Did in the Holidays’ or ‘My Big Adventure’, then you probably had no chance from the start – a writer you were destined to be! (No doubt your idea of a fun school vacation was to sit in a room and write stories all day, too…)

2. You Were Always Lost in a Fictional World

• Did people have to come right up to you and shake you to get your attention when you were reading?
• Did you ever pull a book out of your bag and wander to school with your eyes fixed on the pages (dodging death from skateboarders and cyclists because you simply didn’t see or hear them?)
• Did you often stay up so late reading that you went to school with a headache or bleary eyes?

If you say ‘yes’ to all three, no writer will be a bit surprised. It’s more than likely that even today you always have a book or three by the bed, and panic at the thought of running out of reading matter… 

If you’d like to read the full article (with the other five signs that you are destined to be a writer!) you can find it here:

http://www.writing4successclub.com/public/526.cfm

Tags: Add new tag
Categories: Uncategorized
No Comments »