Tag Archives: Writing Tips

Your First Chapter: Getting Past The Fear

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ChapterOneFear holds a lot of writers back from getting their work into the world, and when you’re writing a book the fear of the first chapter can stop you in your tracks.

Much of this fear comes from pressure for the first chapter to be perfect. It is drilled into us that first impressions are everything, especially when it means keeping your manuscript out of the slush pile.

But if you don’t get started, you’ll never get going. So here are a few tips for pushing past the fear of failure and writing your first chapter.

Before the First Word

Think about your concept. No matter where it came from: based on a real event, in a dream, a fairy story, your imagination, whatever, you will need to flesh it out a bit and think about where it is going. Do some research into the area, and allow your concept to morph as it takes shape.

Coming up with the plot is the most difficult part, because our ideas change and grow all the time. But if you do a little planning on your structure and develop your characters, the shape of your novel will began to reveal itself. And doing this beforehand will make the actual writing process easier.

Putting Pen to Paper

From all your planning, the obvious place to start should present itself. Try not to overthink it – just start writing and see where it takes you. If you hit a dead end, don’t panic. Back up a bit a try again, or put it in a draw for a while and then come back to it with fresh eyes.

Personally, I have found giving my ideas time to marinade really helps my process. I reworked my plot, my world, some of my characters, and prepared to take that leap into a new first chapter.

Advice

There is a lot of advice out there about right/wrong ways to start a book. My advice is: just start writing. If you’ve got off on the wrong foot, the book will tell you. Sure, it may set you back a little, but you’ll learn from that experience and your novel will be better for it.

Think about how your favourite books and films start. Do they jump right into the acton, or is there some breathing space before the story begins? If you can imagine an intriguing scene that doesn’t give the game away, you’re on the right track.

Don’t let the pressure of publishers, agents, or readers intimidate you. First chapters are scary and exciting (like the first summertime leap into a swimming pool) but the great thing about words is that you can change them.

The revision and editing processes are so long that chances are, your first chapter will transform many times from your first version of it. We revise for a reason, so don’t stress about the minor things just yet.

In Retrospect

Although it can be hard figuring out where and how to start, the re-starting of my draft made me realise that the little things don’t matter (yet) and that first drafts never come out perfectly polished the first go.

My biggest lesson: don’t try to write the perfect first draft, because it’s like a unicorn – it only exists in my imagination.

It doesn’t matter that a chapter feels stale, or that the wording for some descriptions aren’t quite right, or that your tense keeps shifting.

Words are flexible: they can be edited, moved around, deleted, and swapped. Just get yourself past the first hurdle and keep pushing forward.

What’s important is that you write, not hide behind the fear that your first chapter may not be entirely perfect just yet.

Via: http://writersedit.com/getting-past-fear-first-chapter/

On Writing And Editing Sex Scenes In Fiction

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Sex Scenes in Fiction

Sex scenes in fiction are a tricky subject. For a start – depending on your genre – should they be there? How much do you show? Should you write the whole scene or stop at the heavy petting? There are many, many questions. And one of the best articles I’ve read on the subject is by Helen Scheuerer, who gives some helpful tips and advice. Here it is, and I hope you find it useful:

Since getting stuck into the structural edit of my novel, I’ve been doing a lot of reading about sex scenes in fiction. When should they be included? What makes them work? What makes them fail spectacularly? What warrants a ‘Literary Review’s Bad Sex Award‘?

Originally, there was only one sex scene in my novel, but at the request of my publisher, I’ve since added two more in, and recently, I’ve had the somewhat surreal experience of critiquing these scenes with my editor.

Editing in general can often be an intimate discussion regarding the intentions and interpretations of characters versus those of the author, but when it comes to the more explicit scenes in fiction, the process involves even more lengthy debates.

My editor and I read articles on the subject, and researched the best sex scenes in literature (the library scene from Atonement topped most of those lists, in case you were wondering), and realised that in any context, sex is a tricky subject. Perhaps largely because it plays such a major role in people’s lives, and yet it remains arguably a mystery to us, often still taboo, and kept behind closed doors.

Within fiction it’s even more complex. I have friends who hate reading sex scenes in books as it makes them uncomfortable, and then I have friends who enjoy reading the more explicit scenes.

Personally, I’m often confused when there’s zero sex in a book, as it’s such a big part of life, it lays bare motivations, desires and consequences, all of which tell you a lot about a character. Sex can be ugly, uncomfortable and awkward just as much (if not more often) than the head tossing, back arching cliches we so often see in fiction.

It can mean the start (or the end) of something, and set into motion a series of events. It’s a fact of life, just like birth and death, violence and love – none of which we shy away from when we write, so why is it different? Why should sex be metaphorical and ultimately glossed over, when it’s acceptable to create a vivid description of someone being shot in the face?

My editor and I discussed all these issues, before we got down to the nitty gritty sentence-level of the scenes themselves. The scenes I included weren’t particularly explicit in terms of naming body parts and describing actions in detail, but there was definitely more description than the ‘kiss and fade out’ option some authors favour.

So, within the comments section of Microsoft word, my editor and I tried to work out what makes a sex scene ‘literary’, and what factors separate these scenes from erotica, or worse ‘smut’. The use of language in these scenes is definitely tricky; too anatomical and the moment’s ruined, too vague and no one knows what is going where or how the characters feel.

I also learnt as a writer, you also have to be wary of the fact that one person’s turn-on is another person’s deal breaker, which is probably why so many authors choose to keep it vague.

Additionally, I was aware of the fact that I was a female author writing a sex scene. I’ve spoken about the gender bias in the writing industry before, but realised it was incredibly present when it came to interpreting fictional sex scenes. Often, these scenes when written by women are seen as confessions, autobiographical even, which made me feel particularly uncomfortable.

What helped me move past this discomfort was the fact that I was writing from a man’s perspective. This helped me feel like I was keeping a relatively safe distance from the risks above, at least during the writing and editing process (perhaps another post will be due by the time these scenes are finalised in print).

Essentially, what I’ve come to understand is like most things in writing, there’s no ‘right’ answer, a writer just has to be aware of their own intentions, as well as that of their characters, and should work closely with an editor to make sure these two visions match up as best they can.

Lastly, I thought I’d list a few quick tips I’ve learned during this process below. Fingers crossed someone out there finds them useful…

Top 7 Tips For Writing Sex Scenes in Fiction

  1. Don’t include them just for the sake of it, like any scene, they should drive the story forward, or reveal something new about a character.
  2. Space out the explicit details with emotional responses, and revelations of character.
  3. Don’t say ‘member’, ever.
  4. Don’t make it perfect, nothing ever is.
  5. Accept that not every reader will find the same thing attractive.
  6. If you’re not comfortable writing them, don’t – that’s why there’s always a ‘fade out’ option.
  7. Accept that you’re going to have to be comfortable editing these scenes with someone in a professional capacity.

Via: https://writersedit.com/writing-editing-sex-scenes-fiction/

Tips For Writing Superbad Villains

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In today’s article, Sacha Black gives some tips on how to write a convincing villain.

Writers have a habit of worshipping their heroes. I know I do. It tends to be the first character we create when we start a new project, and that’s for a reason; our hero saves the day, and usually, that’s who the story is about.

But without Lex Luthor or General Zod causing chaos for Metropolis, there would be no need for Superman to save the day.

Bad guys, villains, gangsters, warlords, vigilantes, and anti-heroes create conflict. Which is why we need to bust the myth that your hero is the most important character in your novel. He isn’t. Your villain is.

But that gives writers a problem because villains are usually seen through the eyes of your hero, which means they don’t get much page time. That makes it harder to give a villain the depth they need to convince your reader they’re credible. Here are 5 quick steps to create kick-ass villains.

1. Understand Their Why

Some people use character interviews or sheets to develop their villain; others wing it as they go. Both ways work. But the one vital piece of information you do need to know is – why your villain is doing what he’s doing.

We all do things for a reason, often because of an amalgamation of experiences in our past. It’s the big events, the things that wound us for instance, losing the love of your life, or not making it to your parent’s deathbed.

Those events shape our brains and the way we see the world and ultimately, they become the source of the decisions we make. All of a sudden, rational thought leaves a villain and doing something immoral or unjust is perfectly valid because that’s what experience has taught them.

The Lion King is a great example of this. The King, Mufasa, has a brother called Scar who grew up in his shadow, always second best. As a result, Scar becomes bitter and jealous. In his mind, he deserves the crown. Therefore, anything he does to get it is fair. His jealousy is the reason why there’s conflict, and that conflict over the crown drives the plot.

2. Motive and Goal

Motives and goals are closely linked:

The goal is what a villain wants e.g. a throne or a squillion dollars.

The motive is the reason why he wants it e.g. he thinks he deserves the throne or wants to be rich.

Motive is the foundation of your story because:

No motive means no conflict, and no conflict means no story.

If your villain doesn’t have a motive, neither does your hero. Put it this way:

You’ve identified your villain’s ‘why,’ the source of their behavior. Add that to a motive – revenge or a warped view of justice, and that gives you the action your villain takes to reach his goal. Which leads to your hero’s reaction saving the day. Simply,

Why + Motive = Villain Action

Therefore, Villain Action = Hero Reaction

3. Make the Conflict Specific

When it comes to conflict, you can’t be broad. Half measures won’t work. That’s like going into a bar on a Friday night and ordering half a shot of tequila. No one does that unless they’re cheap, or a chicken. You’re just short-changing yourself a Saturday morning hangover. While no one wants an ethanol-induced hangover, readers do want a book hangover.

To give a reader what they want, the conflict has to be full of drama to suck a reader in.

The best way to do that is to create conflict that’s specific and targeted so that the hero and villain both invest in fighting each other.

For example, if a wild-eyed science genius is considering releasing a plague, but your friend’s sister-in-law’s cousin said it might only effect ostriches, then no one’s going to get out of bed to save the world. Be specific and link the conflict to your hero/villain’s goals.

Scar wants his brother’s, crown, so everything he does is targeted straight at his brother and his son.

4. Know Your Cliché From Your Trope

There’s a big difference between a cliché and a trope. A cliché is old and tired, it’s been done to death, and when you read or watch a cliché, it makes you cringe. Like a lawyer shouting ‘objection’ in the courtroom or the lover arriving at a marriage ceremony right as the priest says ‘does anyone object?’

For a villain, clichés could be a witch with a cackle and a wart on her nose, or a bad guy dressed head to toe in black, sipping on red wine with an oil painting portrait hanging above a roaring fire. Get the picture? Good.

Clichés are pesky little irritants; they sneak into our stories without us realizing. The important thing is for you to eliminate them regularly.

Tropes, however, are very different. Your novel needs tropes like your body needs oxygen, desperately, and on a permanent basis!

A trope is a pattern. Like a theme or concept that’s found embedded in particular genres. The difference is, a trope can be used time and again.

For example, in fantasy, there might be a magic sword, or ‘the chosen one’ character who is the only one that can save the day. In crime, it could be a maverick detective whose underhand tactics save the day.

The best way to nail down the tropes from the clichés is to read and watch everything you can in your genre. Do it obsessively and jot down the patterns that keep arising.

5. Make Your Villain Unbeatable

Nobody likes a hero who gets it easy. You know the ones – the guys that always land on their feet and defeat the villain with a mere waft of their shapely biceps. It’s boring because it’s unrealistic. Life isn’t like that so your story shouldn’t be either.

Readers want to relate to your hero. That means he needs to work hard for his win. He needs to defeat a huge villain shaped barrier that seems, for 85% of your novel, like it’s totally insurmountable.

How do you make the villain seem undefeatable?

Make your villain an expert at something – if your villain is an expert in amassing huge armies, your hero is going to struggle to gather a rabble of misfits big enough to defeat him.

Inextricably link to your hero’s character arc to your villain-barrier. Think Thor from the Marvel universe movies. Thor was so arrogant and selfish his father cursed his magical hammer (the hammer that can defeat the villain) until he can change and prove himself worthy of the power the hammer wields.

Your Villain Matters

Remember, your villain needs as much love as your hero does. If you accept that, and devote as much time to shaping your villain as you do your hero, your story conflict, pace and tension will be much better for it.

How superbad are your villains?

Via: https://www.thecreativepenn.com/tips-writing-superbad-villains/

Video: How To Punctuate Your Dialogue

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Punctuate-Dialogue

You’re in the thick of writing some characters’ conversations and it hits you: where do the commas go? Do you need one after an exclamation mark? How’s it supposed to look on the page?

We’ve broken down some dialogue into it’s simplest parts with our step-by-step, visual tutorial covering punctuation, dialogue tags, descriptors, and formatting.

“When you’re writing your work and submitting it to places, you’ll look a lot more professional and it’ll be less work for your editor to go back and fix up those nitty-gritty bits…”

Dialogue is something that you can easily get wrong with just one comma out of place. Check out the video in full by following this link:

Video: Master Dialogue Punctuation

What to Take Away From This Video:

  1. Punctuation should always be inside the quotation marks.
  2. The simple comma is your friend! Use it when tying up speech around dialogue tags (the old favourite, ‘s/he said’).
  3. Each line of dialogue should be on a new line; keep the formatting nice and clean.

A great exercise is to pick two or three books (ones that you love!) and find some examples of dialogue. Each book may be slightly different in their smaller details, but it’s handy to see the basics of punctuation in action.

The best way to learn, of course, is by writing some dialogue yourself. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, because practice makes perfect!

Why Taking Writing Breaks Is Important

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Often when we work continuously on the same piece of writing (especially a long piece) we can lose our objectivity. Sometimes we get so caught up in our writing, we forget that simply powering through can affect the quality of our work. Taking a break allows us to come back to our work with a clear mind and a new perspective. This is important because it also allows us to critique our own writing by bringing a fresh view to our work.

Sometimes when reviewing work after a break we might even change our focus and bring new ideas to our writing. This is very useful when your writing just isn’t working. If you are at the point where you are forcing a story, take this as a sign to take a break from it.  Give yourself time to understand why it isn’t working and allow your creative juices to flow and bring you a new view, a new path to take in your writing, or even the courage to scrap what you were doing and start something completely new.

“As writers, we overwork our brains and we don’t realise it. We are constantly thinking, constantly brainstorming, and constantly flooding our heads with superfluous information from blogs to books” – Paul Jun (Problogger)

Remember why you write

There are many reasons why writers write. Some of these are:

  • We enjoy it
  • We have something we want to say
  • Writing gives our imagination freedom to run wild
  • To inspire others
  • It’s our creative outlet

Whatever the reason, we shouldn’t lose sight of why we are writing something and we certainly shouldn’t lose the enjoyment. If you find that this is happening to you then take a break. The last thing you want to do is lose sight of the reason why you are writing. Especially if it’s important to you. Sometimes taking a break to remind yourself of these reasons can be very useful. Take the time to give your mind some breathing space, relax and enjoy life.

Taking a writing break doesn’t mean you can’t think about writing or think about new ideas. As writers, simply seeing or hearing something can spark our creativity and cause our imaginations to run wild. This doesn’t need to stop. Taking a writing break can simply be a break from your current writing project to allow your mind to have a rest and let you re-energise. In the meantime, if you get an idea for another piece of writing, or even for your current project, jot down the idea so you don’t forget it and come back to it later. This will also allow you to assess your new idea objectively.

Time Out and Observation

There are some things you can do whilst taking a break that can help your writing and help you to view what you have written objectively. When you are out, whether it be in a shopping centre, in a park, or when you’re simply around other people, listen to the way people talk to each other. This is one way to check whether the conversations between your characters sound realistic or forced. When you listen to the way people talk naturally, you may realise that some of the conversations between your characters sound robotic or too formal. This is a good way to remind yourself how a conversation between people flows naturally.

“We writers tend to live in our heads and its necessary for us to step outside and enjoy the sunshine more than every once in a while. Shaking up your routine can sometimes, inadvertently, lead to you generating some of your best material” – Mitchell Martin Jnr. (Paper Hangover).

Simply observing people can help you with your character development. Observation can often spark the creation of a new character, add realistic descriptions to your characters and their actions, or even give you a new story idea. For example, you may see a couple who are arguing, even if you can’t hear what they are saying, you might want to use your creativity and make up something that they might be arguing about, something that can be applied to your characters.

Observe (discreetly) the body language of the couple as this can help when you describe interactions with your characters. You want your readers to be able to visualise what is happening and the more realistic it sounds, the easier it will be for your readers. Or perhaps you notice an interesting looking person, someone who is oblivious to what is going on around him or her, perhaps he or she doesn’t seem to notice other people because they don’t seem to care what other people think. Do you have a character like this in your story? If so, some simple observation can give you wealth of inspiration.

Keep reading

Enjoy other people’s writing. Choose a book that you like and read (or re-read) it. Take the time to think about why you enjoy this book so much. Think about things such as:

  • How does the author capture your attention?
  • What methods does the author use to keep your attention?
  • Do you care about the characters in the story? Why or why not?
  • How does the author move the story along?

You can learn a lot by reading books and understanding techniques used by other authors. This can add great value to your own work when you are stuck on how to progress your story or when you need a reminder on how to keep the reader interested.

How long should the break be?

Only you can decide how long of a break you should take. Don’t feel guilty if you end up taking a long break. Take all the time you feel you need. Your writing will be there when you are ready to come back to it and it will benefit from the break. So, if you feel that your writing is getting stale or if you feel that you simply are not making progress, then do yourself a favour and have a break from your writing. Allow yourself time to refresh, get reacquainted with your creativity and revamp your writing.

Via: http://writersedit.com/taking-writing-breaks-important/

How to: Self-Publish Your Book | Part 2

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self-publish-book

Everything you need to know about Self Publishing, right here:

In Part 1 we had a little self-publishing history and info. In Part 2 we start to drill down to the nitty-gritty. So for the specifics and some recommended providers, read on.

Designing an E-Book Cover

There are a number of special considerations for e-book covers, not least of which is how little control you have over how the cover displays. People may see your cover in black and white, grayscale, color, high-resolution, low-resolution, thumbnail size, or full size. It needs to be readable at all sizes and look good on low-quality or mobile devices. For these reasons (and many more), it’s best to hire a professional to create an e-book cover for you. One designer I frequently recommend is Damon Za.

Maximizing Your Sales

With print books, your success is typically driven by the quality of your book, your visibility or reach to your readership, and your cover. With digital books, the same factors are in play, plus the following:

  • If you check the e-book bestseller lists, you’ll see that independent novelists charge very little for their work, usually between 99 cents and $2.99. Some argue this devalues the work, while others say that it’s appropriate for an e-book from an unknown author. Whatever your perspective, just understand that, if you’re an unknown author, your competition will probably be priced at $2.99 or less to encourage readers to take a chance. Typically, the more well known or trusted you are, the more you can charge. Note: Nonfiction authors should price according to the competition and what the market can bear. Sometimes prices are just as high for digital editions as print editions in nonfiction categories.
  • As of this writing, Amazon Kindle accounted for at least 60–70% of e-book sales in the United States. Your Amazon page (especially as displayed on a Kindle) may be the first and only page a reader looks at when deciding whether to purchase your book. Reviews become critical in assuring readers of quality, plus the Kindle bestseller list is watched closely by just about everyone in the business and can be a key driver of visibility and sales.
  • Price + Amazon. Amazon is well known for paying 70% of list to authors who price their e-books between $2.99 and $9.99. The percentage plummets to 35% for any price outside this range, which is why you find authors periodically switching their price between 99 cents and $2.99. They maximize volume and visibility at the low-price point (and attempt to get on bestseller lists), then switch to $2.99 to maximize profits.

This is but a scratch on the surface of the many strategies and tactics used to sell and market self-published work. Read these guides for in-depth coverage.

Should I Set Up a Formal Imprint or Publishing Company?

Much depends on your long-term plans or goals. You don’t have to set up a formal business (e.g., in the United States, you can use your Social Security number for tax purposes), but serious self-publishers will typically set up an LLC at minimum.

For the basic information on how to establish your own imprint or publishing company, read Joel Friedlander’s post, How to Create, Register, and List Your New Publishing Company. It also discusses the ISBN issue.

What About Agents Who Offer E-Publishing Services?

Increasingly, agents are starting to help existing clients as well as new ones digitally publish their work. Help might consist of fee-based services, royalty-based services, and hybrid models.

Such practices are controversial because agents’ traditional role is to serve as an advocate for their clients’ interests and negotiate the best possible deals. When agents start publishing their clients’ work and taking their 15% cut of sales, a conflict of interest develops.

In their defense, agents are changing their roles in response to industry change, as well as client demand. Regardless of how you proceed, look for flexibility in any agreements you sign. Given the pace of change in the market, it’s not a good idea to enter into an exclusive, long-term contract that locks you into a low royalty rate or into a distribution deal that may fall behind in best practices.

How to Produce a Print Edition

There are two primary ways to make print editions available for sale:

  • Print on demand (POD)
  • Traditional offset printing 

As described earlier, print-on-demand technology allows for books to be printed one at a time. This is by far the most popular way to produce print copies of your book. If you’ve investigated services like AuthorHouse, iUniverse, or any of the many subsidiaries of Author Solutions, then you were looking at services that primarily offer POD publishing packages. Traditional publishers also use POD to keep older titles in stock without committing to warehousing and inventory costs.

Pros of print-on-demand

  • Little or no upfront costs (if you avoid full-service packages)
  • Your book can be available for sale as a print edition in all the usual online retail outlets (Amazon, BarnesandNoble.com, etc), as well as distributed through Ingram, the largest U.S. book wholesaler.
  • Most readers cannot tell the difference between a POD book and an offset printed book.

Cons of print-on-demand

  • The unit cost is much higher, which may lead to a higher retail price.
  • You may have very few print copies on hand—or it will be expensive to keep ordering print copies to have around!

Most books printed by U.S. traditional publishers are produced through offset printing. To use a traditional printer, you usually need to commit to 1,000 copies minimum.

Pros of offset printing

  • Lower unit cost
  • Higher quality production values, especially for full-color books
  • You’ll have plenty of print copies around.

Cons of offset printing

  • Considerable upfront investment; $2,000 is the likely minimum, which includes the printing and shipping costs.
  • Increased risk—what if the books don’t sell or you want to put out a new edition before the old one is sold out?
  • You’ll have plenty of print copies around—which means you have books to warehouse and fulfill unless you hire a third party to handle it for you, which then incurs additional costs. 

Important: While it can be fairly straightforward and inexpensive to get a print book in your hands via print-on-demand services, virtually no one can get your book physically ordered or stocked in bookstores. Services may claim to distribute your book to stores or make your book available to stores. But this is very different from actually selling your book into bookstores. Bookstores almost never accept or stock titles from any self-publishing service or POD company, although they can special order for customers when asked, assuming the book appears in their system.

Also, think through the paradox: Print-on-demand services or technology should be used for books that are printed only when there’s demand. Your book is not going to be nationally distributed and sitting on store shelves unless or until a real order is placed.

Should I Invest in a Print Run?

The 3 key factors are:

  1. How and where you plan to sell the book. If you frequently speak and have opportunities to sell your books at events, then it makes sense to invest in a print run. Also consider if you’ll want significant quantities to distribute or sell to business partners or organizations, stock in local/regional retail outlets or businesses, give to clients, etc. I do not recommend investing in a print run because you think bookstores or retail outlets will stock your book. If such an opportunity should arise, then you can always invest in a print run after you have a sales order or firm commitment.
  2. Where you’re driving sales. If you’re driving your customers/readers primarily to online retailers, you can fulfill print orders with less hassle and investment by using POD. Ultimately, you do have to use POD regardless if you want to be distributed by the largest U.S. wholesaler, Ingram. (More info below.)
  3. What your budget is like. Not everyone is comfortable investing in a print run.

You also need to anticipate your appetite for handling the warehousing, fulfillment, and shipping of 1,000+ books, unless a third party is handling it for you, which will reduce your profit. When the truck pulls up to your house with several pallets piled high with 30-pound boxes, it will be a significant reality check if you haven’t thought through your decision.

The majority of independent authors report selling about 100 e-books for every print book. Much depends on the genre, but in the U.S. e-books represent 30-35% of all books sold. So also keep this in mind as you decide how many print copies you need.

Print-on-Demand Recommendations

If you choose print-on-demand, then I recommend the following:

  • Use Ingram Spark to produce a POD edition for all markets except Amazon. By doing so, your book will be listed and available for order through the largest and most preferred U.S. wholesaler, Ingram.
  • Using CreateSpace (a division of Amazon) to produce a POD edition for Amazon sales. For many authors, the majority of sales will be through Amazon.

I recommend using both Ingram Spark and CreateSpace to maximize your profits and ensure that no one is discouraged from ordering or stocking the print edition of your book. As you might imagine, independent bookstores aren’t crazy about ordering books provided by CreateSpace/Amazon, their key competitor. However, if you use Ingram Spark to fulfill orders through Amazon, you will reduce your profits because Amazon offers more favorable terms when selling books generated through CreateSpace. So it’s much more advantageous financially to use CreateSpace—but limit the scope of that agreement to just Amazon orders.

As soon as your printer-ready files are uploaded, POD books are generally available for order at Amazon within 48 hours. With Ingram Spark, it generally takes 2 weeks for the book to be available through all their channels.

Wait, How Do I Get Printer-Ready Files?

As with e-book retailers/distributors, Ingram Spark and CreateSpace may offer you fee-based services related to editing, design, and marketing. These package services may work OK for your needs, but try to hire your own freelancers if you need someone to produce printer-ready files.

Alternatively, you can take a look at Joel Friedlander’s book template system, which offers a way for total beginners to prepare a printer-ready PDF file. There’s also PressBooks.

I Still Have Questions

I would expect so! This is just the tip of the iceberg. You can read more on this topic at the following posts:

I Want to Pay Someone to Self-Publish My Book

Here are high-quality, full-service publishing provider recommendations.

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And that concludes Part 2, hopefully this will have helped you consider your options. If you decide to go ahead with self-publishing – best of luck!

Via: https://janefriedman.com/self-publish-your-book/

3 Things to Cut From Your Writing 

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I believe that within each writer there is an editor, a source of self-criticism that can take our work to the next level with a simple re-read and a dash of red pen. Of course, self-editing is not the end of the line when it comes to polishing your writing (workshopping and seeking a third-party editor is invaluable) but you can do a lot for your story, poem, or script by simply cleaning it up yourself.

At sentence-level (looking at each word and how it functions within the sentence it forms) you can usually cut, condense, or re-word to enrich your writing. There are many things that you could focus on when self-editing at sentence-level (from tone and voice to word-choice and vocabulary) but without even delving too deeply you can tighten and intensify your style.

But before you email your writing to a friend, or send off your submission to an agent, take the time to focus on the following to wake up your inner-editor:

Cut adverbs

This may sound harsh, but adverbs are lazy. Adverbs work against the idea of ‘show, don’t tell’ by telling the reader that ‘the star shone brightly’ rather than showing that it ‘twinkled and glittered like a lost silver coin’, for example.

There is almost always a way to show an adverb rather than telling it, and sometimes you can just cut them entirely and your writing hasn’t lost anything.

The more adverbs you use, the less interesting and unique your descriptions become. So any time you can show your adverb, or cut it entirely, the more enjoyable your writing becomes to read.

Omit needless words

It was the great Strunk who hammered the following into E.B. White’s brain, and it stands true today. We pack our writing (as we do our speech) with ‘filler’ words, words that don’t add to the sentence but just take up valuable space.

The main culprits to take note of include: really, very, just, so, a lot, pretty much, rather, quite, and sometimes.

Sometimes these words are necessary, but you’ll know when to get rid of them and when to re-write them. Check out this cheat sheet for ideas on how to get around lazy ‘very’ words.

Unnecessary words can also work their way into your writing by means of tautology or repetition. When you’ve said one thing but reiterate it in different words you’re creating unnecessary work for the reader, and using up your word count.

Comb back through your writing and analyse the importance of every word at sentence-level, cutting the ones that are pointless. Be ruthless. This will tighten your sentences and give greater impact and immediacy to your writing.

Avoid clichés

We wouldn’t have them if they weren’t so good. But it’s like flogging a dead horse (see what I did there?). Clichés are used so frequently in our everyday language that it feels natural to slip them into your writing, and you don’t even notice.

They’re often brilliant images or analogies, but when you’ve heard them all your life they become meaningless and dull.

If you find the perfect cliché to sum up your character’s emotions or thoughts, cut it and re-write your own with images that are original and new. Creativity is refreshing, so use it to your advantage to wow your reader with new words in new ways.

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I hope you find these tips useful. Happy writing!

Via http://writersedit.com/top-3-things-cut-writing/

How To Outline Your Novel | Useful Resources

Posted in Blog, Writing by

writing10

This week, as an extended Bank Holiday Bonus, we have been looking at how to outline your novel. To close off the week I have prepared a list of the links provided over the week, which will serve as a very nice further reading and useful resources list. I hope you find it useful:

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Plotting: Constructing Your Story

http://www.scribendi.com/advice/theplotskeleton.en.html

http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2011/09/14/25-ways-to-plot-plan-and-prep-your-story/

http://contemporarylit.about.com/od/literaryterms/g/Narrative-Arc-What-Is-Narrative-Arc-In-Literature.htm

Characters

http://www.narniaweb.com/resources-links/character-ages/

http://www.veronicasicoe.com/blog/2013/04/the-3-types-of-character-arc-change-growth-and-fall/

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/11-secrets-to-writing-effective-character-description

Setting

https://writersblog.co/2017/04/19/literary-devices-setting/

http://www.scribophile.com/blog/importance-of-setting-in-a-novel/

http://www.wordstrumpet.com/2012/03/tips-on-writing-prepping-for-the-novel-part-five-setting.html

Theme

http://www.livewritethrive.com/2013/10/09/getting-to-your-core-idea/

https://writersblog.co/2017/04/18/literary-devices-how-to-master-theme/

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2010/05/how-to-write-one-sentence-pitch.html

http://www.writersedit.com/literary-devices-motif/

Structure

http://classroom.synonym.com/literary-term-nonlinear-narrative-1816.html

http://education.seattlepi.com/circular-narrative-style-5885.html

https://nailyournovel.wordpress.com/2011/09/25/plot-is-linear-story-doesn%e2%80%99t-have-to-be/

http://theeditorsblog.net/2013/04/07/marking-time-with-the-viewpoint-character/

http://www.musik-therapie.at/PederHill/Structure&Plot.htm

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2013/02/three-ways-to-add-tension-during.html

http://www.thewritersjourney.com/hero’s_journey.htm

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/how-to-structure-a-story-the-eight-point-arc/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/how to make 3 act structure work for you

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2013/10/how-to-plot-with-three-act-structure.html

Act I: The Beginning

http://thescriptlab.com/screenwriting/structure/three-acts/55-act-one-the-beginning

http://rebeccaberto.com/2012/01/15/the-best-advice-ive-learned-on-story-structure-part-2-plot-point-1/

http://digitalwritersfestival.com/2015/event/first-chapter/

http://www.writersedit.com/literary-devices-mood/

http://www.ptmichelle.com/2011/10/21/writing-tips-mini-story-arcs-within-your-storys-arc/

Act II: Midpoint

http://timetowrite.blogs.com/weblog/2015/06/the-three-cs-of-plot-and-how-they-help-you-write-the-middle-of-your-story.html

https://www.profwritingacademy.com/writers-focus-on-the-midpoint-to-nail-your-story/

http://lydiasharp.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/writing-toward-your-midpoint.html

http://livewritebreathe.com/the-black-moment/

http://rebeccaberto.com/2012/01/27/the-best-advice-ive-learned-on-story-structure-part-3-midpoint-second-third-plot-points/

Act III: Climax and Resolution

http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/4-ways-to-improve-plotclimax-in-your-writing

http://www.natashalester.com.au/2013/05/15/the-new-love-of-my-life-why-planning-a-book-with-scrivener-makes-writing-easy/

Other Writing Resources

Writing Prompts

http://www.writersedit.com/category/resources-for-writers/writing-prompts-resources-for-writers/

Writing Software

https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php

http://www.scribblecode.com/

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I hope you have found this series of posts useful. Best of luck with your writing! 

You can find the previous parts here: 

Via: http://writersedit.com/how-to-outline-your-novel-11-easy-steps/