after...

The new year has come and gone, the holiday season has finally ended...then why can't I write? The reason you, me, anyone can't write at this point is that we have allowed circumstances to take over our creativity. We are simply out of practice. Sit down at the computer and begin--that's all it takes. Except...I've been hit with the worst depression in years! Still sorting through it but I know it is old stuff brought up by recent events and a powerful full moon. (Can you help me, Arianrhod?)

The adage about writing a certain amount of words a day really does work. It could be the worst gobbledegook ever but it keeps the creativity going, and invokes the muse even if she's just lurking in the background. I heard an interview today with an author whose name escapes me. He said he didn't start writing until he was 31, as though that was late to come into it. I hate to tell you how old I was. I find myself terrified from time to time contemplating a life without it!

Now is the time to start something--to begin the story you've been thinking about for months and months, maybe even years. You don't have to be so strict about your writing schedule that you end up sabotaging yourself--just set a general word goal and go from there. If you don't make it one day, start the next. Don't be hard on yourself. This is supposed to be fun, remember? Once it becomes a  chore it no longer serves.

I plan (notice I don't say 'I'm going to'...) to go to a writing group on the 15th of this month. I hope I do because I think being in a group of writers will stimulate me. And it is not a critique group, which gives the entire thing a bit more allure. I'll let you know how it goes.

Right now I have to begin writing again. I've started two stories, gone back and forth from first to third person, (settled on first) and know where I want it to go. Whether the characters agree is yet to be found out...

So sit down at your desk and get out pen and paper or open your Word file and BEGIN!

I'm taking my own advice. Happy creating everyone!!!

changing tunes, or taking a different trail, or shaking it up--Marketing

Just to be honest at the outset, I'm tackling a subject here that I don't know much about--the dreaded m word that every self-published author fears.  I'm working on book seven now and have been hoping that sales will pick up because of so many books in the marketplace, but alas, I still have not found my tribe. This year I've spent more money on this, doing newspaper ads here in Tucson and paying for ads online. I've also found two or three places that for a nominal fee will tweet an ad for your book. http://masqueradecrew.blogspot.com/ is one of them. BooksGoSocial.com, a site based in Dublin, does reviews and features books for a nominal fee. Also has an awesome blog with many tips for writers.

A problem that I have which may not be your problem at all, is that I sign up on these sites, pay with paypal and then forget about them--apparently my mind has no follow-up ability. And following up is VERY important! (especially if money changes hands)

When posting on FB, blogging or tweeting, try and be consistent. By that I mean do it often, not do it the same. I've heard that posting early in the morning or late in the evening is the best time to reach readers. And don't just advertise yourself, try and expose who you are aside from being an author. And interact if you can with whatever subjects interest you.

 I'm still struggling with Twitter when it comes to this. I guess it's the hashtag thingy that I find somewhat confusing. Maybe you can start a sort of thread by adding # whatever? and then see who responds...just putting a tweet out there doesn't seem to do much since I've posted questions that get no answers. For some reason I'm getting more and more followers and I'm not sure why. I'm muddling along with it and trying day by day to figure it out and respond in kind.

Facebook is an entire other world. I haven't been posting on my author page and have been told that I should. And according to my source, this should happen five to eight times a week! Doesn't always have to be about the books, in fact it's better if it isn't. (confusing, right?) I see people filling up the page with automatic posts. I do not want to do that no matter how entertaining they might be. If I personally do not have time to look something up and then post about it, forget it.

All in all be yourself.

Thank you for reading and I appreciate any and all comments!

Hooks and other things to consider

I'm not even sure where I read this, but the advice was to keep the reader turning pages by ending every chapter with a hook--what will happen next?

This can be done several ways--by someone running for their lives or by simply ending the chapter with a question. Will she make it to the town in time to stop the insurrection? We don't know and so we turn the page.

I find myself doing this automatically now, and many times I'll come up with a sentence that seems like the end of a chapter when in reality the chapter is too short and needs to go on.

How about the hook at the beginning? The adage of 'start your story with a major hook and then keep the suspense building' is a good one. But at some point we need to hear the backstory, or the narrative has no depth. Who is this woman who's running from the law? Why does she keep doing stupid things?  What in her background would account for this? Don't do an info dump, just weave it in when you need to slow down the action.

One of the things I've discovered is that when the narrative moves too quickly, it's as though we don't have time to take a breath. As a writer, breathe in and relax a moment, bringing the reader into the present, and then get in touch with what the main character is feeling. Take a short hiatus and then you can heighten the tension again. It's like mixing staccato sentences in with longer ones--they all have their place but if you overdo one or the other it makes for a less engaging story. It's like a symphony in which the music changes from fast-paced, to slow and steady.

But first and foremost be interested in what you're writing. Be there in the scene, visualize the booming cannon as it kicks backward, emitting a plume of smoke, hear what it does to your eardrums, see the sparks and the smoke from the explosion, smell the cordite. This is where you hook your reader because you've brought them directly into the action.

The more engaged you are the better it will be.

Thanks for reading and comments are most appreciated!

Book festival results...

Before I get into my ramblings about it all, I will tell you that I sold 6 books. (Thank you friends!) For $35 it was worth sharing a space with nine other authors for two hours! Several people stopped by and picked up my card so that they could buy kindle versions.

Disclaimer: One of the problems I faced was a master seller right next to me. She had more than eight published books and almost leaned out to grab people by their lapels, reeling them in like fish... "What do you like to read?" I can hear her voice in my ears as I write this. She was on my left, the direction most people were coming from, so that by the time they reached me they had either bought one of her books or just wanted to get the hell away from us. I thought her strategy inspiring, but I couldn't exactly call out the same question now could I? The other thing I noticed was that two thirds of the people who came by answered 'mystery' as their main genre. I could call mine paranormal mysteries, I suppose.

Another problem is what I refer to as 'the talking non-buyer', a person who comes by just to chat, basically keeping possible buyers away. Nothing to do about this without being massively rude.

Several authors in my pavilion brought huge posters along to place next to their books, a cover from one of their books that could be seen from 100 feet away. Great idea that I will implement next year.

What I brought away from it all: next year I will try and schedule my two hours on Saturday when the most people are wandering through. Apparently 100,000 people were expected and next year it should be even bigger. I will attempt to be more engaging with passers-by...maybe ask them what they like to read? (ha) or possibly some other quip unique to my genre--have to think on that. Poster. I also hope to have two more books out by next year-- the sequel to Gypsy's Quest and another paranormal story that takes place in the Tucson desert. The more books I have, the better the chances. Right now I guess I should get back to writing--have a lot to accomplish in the upcoming months!

Any of you authors go to book Festivals? what has been your experience?

Thanks for reading.

Interview with well-known sci-fi/fantasy author, Louise Marley

1. Although you are a well-known author, please tell us a bit about yourself. How long have you been a writer?
~~I started writing about twenty years ago (that's hard to believe--it doesn't seem so long.) I began as a hobby, thinking it would be good to do something other than the music which had obsessed me for such a long time! It was a wonderful surprise to find that I had some talent.


2. Was it difficult getting your initial manuscripts 'picked up' by an agent?
~~Absolutely! That's probably the hardest step. I still remember the numbers--twenty-one queries, with a wide variety of responses. I heard everything from "We could never place this material" to "I'll take it just as it is." I signed with an agent who liked my style but thought the book needed rewriting--and he was right!


3. have you wished to write in another genre and hesitated due to possible publishing problems?
~~Interesting question, because it turns out now I AM writing in a new genre (historical). I've written fantasy, science fiction, and now--evidently--historical. I have one mainstream novel still in process, which is a change for me, a;so. Business-wise, writing in too many genres may not be a great idea, but I've always felt that the story is the story, and defining the genre is the publisher's task.


4. Do you feel that age factors into whether a new writer gets picked up by an agent?
~~No. Mostly they have no idea how young or old a writer is.


5. How do you view the changes in publishing since you published your first book?
~~The main difference, of course, is the advent of e-publishing, but another big change happened about ten years ago. The distribution system completely fell apart and was replaced with big corporate distribution companies, and that made it tough on a lot of midlist writers. Electronic books are erasing the issues of distribution. I've blogged about this several times, and you may want to read those essays, but the essence is that e-books are SUPPORTING not harming, paper books.


6. With all the changes in technology do you think young people are reading?
~~The young people I meet are invariably huge readers. They're also consumers of a wide variety of other sorts of entertainment--film, tv, video games, manga...and so their time is limited. But there will always be people who love the printed word, in my opinion--even if it's printed with e-ink!


7. Good editing aside, what advice would you give writers struggling to get their work into the marketplace?
~~Write the best book you can! It's the only thing you can do. Editors and publishers want books, as evidenced by the sheer volume of new books published every year. A new writer has to do it all--study, practice, research, and sell. And remember, too, that many, many writers have unpublished novels tucked under their beds at home. Often that first book, or even the second, is a learning experience.  


The hardest thing, I think, is being objective about your own work. That's where an editor can be helpful, but these days, editors' main job is to acquire manuscripts, not to edit. That means a writer has to turn in as clean a manuscript as possible, and as polished a book as she can produce. And perseverance pays off, although it can be exhausting!


I find I talk about this a great deal to aspiring writers, and I do remember how it felt to be trying to break in. I hope your readers might visit my website and read my essay "Five Music Lessons for Writers". I wrote it nearly fifteen years ago, but it has been passed round a lot by teachers. It still expresses my belief in how to be a working artist.


Thank you so much, Louise. www.louisemarley.com