Do you review books? Can you add to this good advice? What makes you decide to write a review—or makes you decide not to? I find that I’m least likely to review something I’m reading if I’m unsure whether I’m reacting to the book itself or to conventions of a genre that I just don’t understand or care for. What about you?
Category Archives: writing novels
Do’s and Don’ts of Asking for Reviews
Filed under Goodreads, indie publishing, Marketing books, Reviews, Writing, writing novels
New Writers’ Comprehensive Reality Check!
Joel Friedlander at The Book Designer shares this comprehensive discussion of myths and truths for first-time novelists from Florence Osmund. I would argue that you CAN format your books yourself if they’re not graphically complicated (i.e., just text). Check out my InDesign Beginner’s Cheat Sheet series. But this advice is worth taking to heart!
It Ain’t Just Talk: 3 Crucial Elements of Great Dialog
Here’s some good stuff on dialogue! I have to say I’ve been reading a lot of dialogue recently that’s either way too generic or waaaaay too cute (the kind that goes on for pages because, it seems, the writer just likes hearing all that clever patter). And I confess, I struggle to stay within these parameters myself.
I think creating the best dialogue comes down to working with characters who are not generic themselves, who have something to say—and, as this article suggests, are in conflict in some way. For example, one wants something the other doesn’t want to give. The screenwriting books I’ve read called this “no” dialogue. Great stuff happens when “no” underlies the scene. Sound too negative? Next time you’re bored or stuck with your scene, try it.
One final thought: too much dialogue, and you’ve got a stage play, not a novel, not even a movie. This is one of my greatest challenges: making sure that conflict-filled dialogue scenes are tempered by scenes where characters do things instead of just talk.
What are your challenges, pet peeves, and strategies when it comes to dialogue?
She’s baaaaack. Well, sort of. Today I have an extra special treat. This is going to sound super conceited but whatever, it is MY blog 😛 . But first lemme caveat with this.
I feel I DO have a knack for predicting the next big thing. Case in point, in 1993 I was at an air show and there was an unknown all-female band I chatted with because no one was really over there. I loved their unique sound and gushed over how one member employed the banjo (an instrument forgotten at that time).
I told them I was sure they were going to be the next biggest thing in country music, and even bought some of the cheap merchandise they sold to support their music and prove I meant what I said.
That little band was The Dixie Chicks.
I’ve done this time and time again with authors and…
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Filed under writing novels
International Poetry competition – one of the biggest and best
Some readers might like to consider this contest! Sounds great for poets.
One of the world’s biggest and most prestigious poetry contests, the National Poetry Competition is now open for previously unpublished poems of up to 40 lines on any subject. (Publication includes being posted on blogs, twitter etc etc)
The competition is judged by Moniza Alvi, Gerry Cambrige and Jack Underwood. Every entry will be read by at least two judges – they don’t just get to see a selected short list. All poems are judged anonymously.
1st prize is £5,000
2nd £2,000
3rd £1,000 and there are seven commendations at £200 each.
Winning poems are also published in an anthology and on the Poetry Society website, and there are other exciting opportunities for each year’s winners, including the opportunity to read at some of the UK’s biggest literary festivals and events.
Entry fee: The first poem submitted costs £6.50. Subsequent entries in the same submission cost £3.50 per poem. Poetry…
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My First BookBub Rejection
I highly recommend alfageeek’s candid, nuts-and-bolts reports on the marketing process. See, for example, his series on Twitter ads. Now here’s one on Bookbub, which is way out of my league at present. but which might be useful to you.
And may I echo his exhortation: If you’ve read either of my books, PUH-LEEZE post even a few lines of a review.
I decided to take a shot at doing a promo with BookBub. Over the past few years, they have become the most effective marketing platform for e-books. Their reputation is that they reject almost all submissions, and they never tell you why they rejected you. But if you manage to get accepted, then you will sell a lot of books. They regularly update a chart that shows exactly how many books people in various categories and price points sell. That’s useful, because if they accept you, the listing is very expensive.
I signed up to their email list to be notified about Erotic Romance novels, since that’s the best category for my novels. (Even though I can’t say that on Amazon.) I was pleased to see that the books being promoted were not out of my league. Of the 24 Erotic Romance books they have listed right now, there…
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NEWSFLASH – Story Reading Ape Publishes Book…
I’ve found so much good stuff through Chris! Check this out: he’s a PUBLISHER now! Poems by his mom! Enjoy.
“But…but…but…THAT”S not YOUR name as the Author!” I hear you declare indignantly…
That’s TRUE – I’M not the AUTHOR, my Mother is, but unfortunately she is not alive to publish it herself, (she died in 2000), so I’ve published it in her name.
Today would have been Mum’s 90th birthday if she’d still been alive, so my sister and I felt that this book would be a nice way to celebrate Mum’s life and memory.
What’s it about?
As stated in the book description:
We all have dreams, loves and hopes; but what if you are a girl growing up in 20th century Northern Ireland before, during and after the ‘Troubles’?
From the poetic thoughts of our Mother, we get a sense of what it was like, ranging from humour, sadness, wistful thinking and sometimes just downright nonsensical, these are the words of one such girl.
Each poem tells a story.
My sister…
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Barnes & Noble to Start a Print Book Self-Pub Option?
Check out this article from Digital Book World about a new venture at Barnes and Noble to allow self-published writers to offer print versions in B&N venues, hopefully a step that will help keep them afloat. Chime in with your views on whether this new option is worth a look.
Another Good Article on Dialogue
From fellow writer alfageeek, here’s a link to a Scribophile piece on dialogue that provides some excellent elaboration on the piece I reblogged yesterday. Join in the discussion about “actions” as “dialogue tags.”
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Are You Botching Your Dialogue?
This post from Kristen Lamb’s blog gives some good basic guidelines for using and punctuating dialogue. These principles can be surprisingly hard to master, so a good primer is always helpful. The one I see most often is the use of an action as if it were a dialogue tag. To add to Kristen’s list, I’d say, “Watch out for that darn Autocorrect in Word. If you have it turned on and you accidentally type a period instead of a comma after the dialogue, Autocorrect automatically capitalizes the next letter, so you end up with two punctuation gaffes, not one.
Thanks, Kristen!
Today we are going to talk about dialogue. Everyone thinks they are great at it, and many would be wrong. Dialogue really is a lot tricker than it might seem.
Great dialogue is one of the most vital components of fiction. Dialogue is responsible for not only conveying the plot, but it also helps us understand the characters and get to know them, love them, hate them, whatever.
Dialogue is powerful for revealing character. This is as true in life as it is on the page. If people didn’t judge us based on how we speak, then business professionals wouldn’t bother with Toastmasters, speaking coaches or vocabulary builders.
I’d imagine few people who’d hire a brain surgeon who spoke like a rap musician and conversely, it would be tough to enjoy rap music made by an artist who spoke like the curator of an art museum.
Our word choices are…
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Filed under correct grammar for writers of fiction, ebooks publishing and selling, Editing your novel, grammar rules for writers, indie publishing, Learning to write, Publishing, punctuation for writers of novels, self editing for fiction writers, Self-publishing, style for writers, Writing, writing novels
Terrific Post on Reading Your Contract!
Thanks to PubCrawl and Kelly Van Sant for this clear and comprehensive piece about red flags in publishing contracts.
It should be required reading!
Just Can't Help Writing 