book, writing

Guiltless Writing

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

I remember when I started writing, I was surprised to learn there were so many rules I needed to learn—and follow. 

Show, don’t tell.

Do not use adverbs in your writing.

Don’t use cliches. 

Write a certain number of words per day to be successful.

And on and on.

But, I was also told something else: After you learn to follow the rules effectively and become successful, you may pretty much throw the rules away and write however you please. 

The truth is, I think when we find ourselves “eligible” to abandon the rules, we will want to keep them because they make our writing better.

But like I told my critique group yesterday, I will rejoice when the rule about using minimal adverbs in writing is no longer required. 

I can’t help it. I love those -ly words…

Lovely, slowly, carefully, brilliantly, passionately, and so on.

Oh, how I long to use them in my writing without feeling guilty!

Check These Out

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

The idea behind a writing community is writers writing together, helping each other, whether through courses, retreats, podcasts, social media, and so on.

Have you considered joining a writing community?

There are quite a few and I’d recommend you join one or two. They furnish lots of good information authors need to know, keep you up to date on new trends and “helps”, and get you in touch with others who write in your same genre.

Here are some to check out:

  1. A Writer’s Path
  2. Chronicles
  3. NaNoWriMo
  4. Alessandra Torre Ink
  5. Fiction Writing
  6. YeahWrite
  7. WritersCafe.org
  8. She Writes
  9. Insecure Writer’s Support Group
  10. Writing.com
  11. Association of Ghostwriters
  12. Faith Writers
  13. The Masters Review
  14. Storywrite

When A Book is Made Into A Movie

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

Have grand hopes that your book may someday be made into a movie? That millions of viewers will see your words come to life on the big screen?

It could happen, you know.

And it might be an exciting experience—or it may not.

I watched a movie a few weeks ago that held such promise. However, the author sold his/her rights to the motion picture studio and was not involved in the making of the movie.

I was shocked to see that—although the basic plot was intact—the details of the movie were very different than the book. So much so that it changed a rating from PG-13 to something I was embarrassed to watch.

My heart still aches for the author. So, beware and learn from his/her “mistake.” Get legal representation and have your attorney insert a clause or two delineating that you want to see the script and even be present at the shooting. 

After all, it is your copyrighted work. Refuse to let it be changed into something other than you intended.

Don’t sell out for fame. You just might end up embarrassed to see your name in lights.

Applause!

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

A review is to a writer as applause is to an actor.

And after you’ve spent a week or so of your free time reading a book, you deserve to have your say—in the form of a review.

If you’re reading on a Kindle or any other tablet, there’s an opportunity at the end for you to do just that. The review space is short and limited to a certain number of words.

I recommend using the standard critique method likened to a sandwich. You’ve heard it before: say something positive (akin to an applause), then use a sentence or two to explain any negatives, ending with another positive comment.

Now, reward the author with the appropriate number of gold stars and you’re done.

It’s easy—and super-convenient if you’re reading an ebook. But if you have just finished reading a physical copy, the simplest and quickest way to write a review is to go on Amazon or Goodreads, type in the author’s name, scroll through their listing of books, and click on the one you just finished reading. At the bottom of the screen for that book, there is a place to write a review and also read those others have already written.

Rankings on Amazon and the internet depend on reviews. They are coveted and appreciated by authors. If you have received a free e-book from Book Bub or one of the others, I like to think of a review as a thank you to the author for the free copy.

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Revise, Reprint, or Second Edition?

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

I am currently building a new website. Compared to my current ones, it will be organized differently, have updated pictures, and contain more up to date information.

As I worked on it this week, I asked myself if my first book might do with a little revamping, I sought the internet to give me the definitions of reprint, revise, and second edition. 

Here is what I found:

A reprint is a subsequent printing of a book already published that preserves the identical text of the previous printing. 

Concluding that was not what I intended, I read on about revision.

This is an edition of a book which incorporates major revisions by the author or an editor designed to bring it up to date. These are appropriate for non-fiction which can get out-dated and even obsolete.

Since I write fiction, I continued my search by looking for information about second editions.

If readers who already own the first edition would benefit in some way from owning a second edition. For example, textbooks (in which the information may change rapidly) should definitely be updated periodically.

However, in the case of fiction, where a reader is unlikely to reread a book just because the author has fixed a few typos, the answer is no.

So, based on my internet search, fiction books would rarely benefit from a revision, reprint, or being republished as a second edition.

Change the Recipe

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

I have a cobbler recipe that I like. It is delicious and super easy.

I have used the recipe quite a few times. However, I often alter something about it to make it “better.”

I have substituted different fruits. And I use less and less dry ingredients as I seek that perfectly moist concoction.

As I made my cobbler a few days ago, I thought of my day of editing the day before. Cutting out words, lines, paragraphs—even whole scenes. Inserting others so the story was more suspenseful.

I left my computer, pleased with the final product, and my kitchen with the delightful aroma of another tasty cobbler.

Olympians Do It, Too!

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

I hope you have been watching the Olympics. Besides seeing them compete, I enjoy hearing hundreds of stories about the awesome athletes and their families.

I especially liked a commentary about one of the snowboarders. The reporter said this young lady’s practice was to spend hours a day visualizing herself on the snow, as she executed whatever she would be performing the following day. A video accompanied the story in which I could see this girl, standing at the gate, eyes closed, going through the twists and turns of her upcoming runs in her mind.

Our writing needs to help our readers visualize our setting and our characters—what they look like, how they move, and so on.

And we can only achieve that if we visualize these for ourselves, as we write. A rich vocabulary (or a handy Thesaurus) is essential to make our writing come alive for our reading audience.

Additionally, we must be capable of visualizing our story as it unfolds. From beginning to end, we must continually step back and look at the big picture, asking ourselves if each scene leads us closer and closer to that satisfying end.

Finally, on days your writing is difficult and you wonder if you will ever finish your book, try visualizing it—amazing cover and all—in your hands or on a bookstore shelf. 

Closing my eyes, right now, I am visualizing a sea of writers standing shoulder to shoulder, newly published books held high and smiles on our faces.

Accomplishment feels good, doesn’t it? And, by the way, your covers look awesome!

K.I.S.S.

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

As I near the completion of another book, my thoughts naturally turn to COVERS. I think of them as the icing on the cake … jewelry to adorn an outfit… you get the picture.

They are really fun, but can be quite challenging. The process can be intense, but in a different way from writing and editing.

Best of all, they signal THE COMPLETION of my project and I give myself permission to look ahead to writing the next story.

Here are a few things to think about when choosing a book cover:

1) Make It Pop: Bright Colors, Images that cause the consumer to take a second look, something different than everything currently “out there.” But how will you know? Shop the bookstores or department stores and look through what’s on the shelves. (Years ago, I chose the perfect stock photo for one of my books only to find it already used on a book cover already on the shelf.) Back to square one…

2) Leave Lots of Space: The title, your name, and the main image will stand out more if you leave lots of open space. The more text you add and the more images you try to fit in, the more cluttered. Nothing will stand out for the consumer.

3) Appeal to Emotions: Buying a book is an emotional experience. Appeal to the reader’s emotions depending on your genre. Go for scary … suspenseful … empathetic … romantic … and so on. Get the reader hooked before they ever look inside.

4) Use Subtitles or Teasers: A sentence at the top saying you are a USA Today Bestseller, or Carol Award winner, for instance, helps readers judge the book’s value. Maybe use a tagline or a quote by a well-known author.

A subtitle is used to further explain the title. You can also delineate which book it is in a series. (Pick ONE. Don’t clutter up your cover trying to fit all of these in.)

5) Use Fonts and Colors That Stand Out.

6) Use an image of a person, or animal, or something in nature that speaks to the consumer in a personal way:  Lately, a dog on the cover is the most well-received image. However, if your book doesn’t have a dog in its story, choose some other animal or person that will elicit an emotional response/connection.

7) If you are writing books in a series: be sure each connects to the others, not only in content, but visually on the cover. For example, the covers of the series I finished last year (all four book titles are children’s games), share the same fonts. My name, the title, and the images have the same placement on the covers. The images are all different and the covers are different colors, but the tone is carried from book one thru book four.

**Just as we’re told to leave lots of white space on each page, remember to leave lots of space and use fonts/colors that make your information stand out. If your book looks too complicated, consumers won’t even bother to read the cover. You will be giving them a subtle message that what’s inside will be difficult to read and understand, too.

Solving a POV Problem

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

I read A LOT. And one of the things I notice most often is problems with POV. I’m sure you’ve seen them, too.

The most common mistake is head-hopping, or allowing the thoughts of more than one character at a time to take place in a scene.

Each scene should have the viewpoint of one person only. And the revealed emotions/thoughts of that person.

When you want to reveal another person’s thoughts/feelings/emotions, you must make a scene break, and begin anew with the person you want to be your new POV character.

All of that is probably no surprise to you. But it is what’s next that you may not have thought about.

I have learned that the main character of the book (the one who’s journey we are following) should be the one featured as your POV most of the time.

Why?

Because you can share the POV’s emotions and thoughts to a deeper degree. It just makes sense that our “hero” needs to become the character we know—and care about. The one we are cheering for.

I’m not certain in the case of your story just what percent of time to devote. It may depend on how many characters you have.

For instance, if your book has only two characters, then the main character could be the POV more than half of the time. For me, that might look like 60%. For someone else it might be 75%. 

If you have four characters, maybe they take up 60% (all together) and your main character accounts for 40%. You’ll get a feel for it.

There are times when I’m done writing, that I go back for that final read(s) and I realize I need to rewrite a few scenes to make them in the main character’s POV. I know this because my character’s just not coming through as someone I know well enough.

Other times, I may not change the POV. But, in order for the reader to identify more with him, I will have another character verbalize their perceptions about the main character. They might say, “You are just a crybaby, aren’t you?” Or, “That’s the second lie I’ve caught you in today.”

So you can definitely use your other characters to reveal information and emotions, too.

Be creative in finding ways to get us in touch with your main character at a much deeper level. Your writing will be richer, more interesting, and full of emotion.

COTT

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

We have all probably experienced opening one of our folders (containing notes from conferences, podcasts, or books we’ve read) and said: “Oh, my! I’d forgotten all about this.”

Well, that’s what I did a few minutes ago.

Flipping pages, I came across one marking a proud moment. My first book, Runaways: The Long Journey Home, won a contest called “Clash of the Titles” six years ago.

Why I haven’t thought about this until now, I do not know, but right away I wanted to give you some information on this monthly contest:

In their monthly games, several authors face off with their newest novels to see which is voted most worthy by readers. 

Just out of the gate with my first novel, I had no clue what I was doing. It must have been easy because I was able to enter—and win!

What did I receive? 

  • A big blurb about my book and myself as an author (on their website)
  • My picture and book cover displayed
  • A great “badge” that I used for advertising (see above)

So, today I went to http://clashofthetitles.com/ 

I read about the monthly contests and their COTT Blog Alliance.

But then I read these dreaded words:

  • Monthly clashes will not be held for the foreseeable future.

and

  • No longer accepting members to the COTT Blog Alliance.

So very disappointing!  This was a great website at one time and it makes me wonder what happened. I am still printing this because YOU may know what went on at COTT.

They made a big impact on me early in my writing career, as I am sure they did for many others just getting started.

** If you have any updated information on this group, please write back on this blog. **