Just for fun – because everyone deserves a break
You can get this pattern as a bookrun, pillows, and more. Even leggings! Pretty cool.
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Stereotypes are a cheap way to write characters. Megan Leigh at SFWA argues the need for more strong female characters and by strong she means complex, not she-hulks. As a long time Sci-Fi fan, I do think it has gotten better. I fell into Tolken, who has only a few (strong) female characters, but at least women were not objects to be possessed featured on the cover as scantily clad as the publisher thought they could get away with.
by Megan Leigh
When it comes to equal representation in fiction, women have a long way to go. There simply aren’t enough female characters in books and that’s counting those that appear only as romantic interests, victims to be saved, or someone’s mother. Is it really so much to ask for an equal number and variety of well-written, three-dimensional female characters?
What is a ‘strong’ character?
It is important to understand what we mean when talking about strong characters, be they male or female. This isn’t physical strength or the strength of their convictions. A strong character has strong characterisation. They are flawed, complex, varied, fallible, and realistic.
A common issue with novels claiming to have a strong female character is the creation of an arbitrary distinction between strong and weak, useful and ineffectual, passive and active. In such cases, women are often pigeon holed into stereotypes – the weak woman is caring and vulnerable, overly emotional, and concerned with domestic issues, while the strong woman is aggressive, abrasive, violent, and has difficulty connecting emotionally with others.
When critics cry that there aren’t enough strong female characters, they aren’t talking about women adhering to the masculine warrior stereotype. Instead, what they are looking for are female characters who have as many varied personality traits as their male counterparts.
The fallacy of the exceptional case
The chosen one is one of the most common tropes in SFF. The chosen one, by definition, must be exceptional. If the narrative involves a chosen female, many writers – and readers – will, by default, exclaim that they have found an example of a strong female character. But simply being the prophetic wunderkind does not make a character strong by default.
If your story hinges on this particular woman being special, an exceptional member of her gender, it is easy to brush off the majority of women as ‘weak’. While stories involving such characters often involve men slowly realising they shouldn’t be so surprised that a woman can handle herself so well, the very framing of the narrative in a way that has men writing off most women as incapable is an issue unto itself. If only one woman is ever shown to be capable and is presented as an exceptional case, gender equality has a long way to go.
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In The News – Articles Of Interest For Authors
Hey did you know that there are other platforms out there besides Amazon and Apple? I know, I know, I kid, I kid. But we talk about those two so much with B&N occasionally thrown in that it is nice to remember that Google actually has game in this race. So here are some updates on Play Book from Android Police. Anyone have any luck with getting their titles on Google Books?
Play Books v3.9 adds smarter search suggestions, badges for series with new content, and more [APK Download + Teardown]
by Cody Toombs, Jul 18, 2016
It has been a couple of months since Play Books has been in the news, but there’s a new update rolling out and it brings a couple of new features. Version 3.9 gives search a little more help with more thorough suggestions and adds a badge to series when new content hits the store. Those two things along with some other general bug fixes and improvements are certainly nice, but there are also a couple of things to talk about in a teardown. Keep reading for details or skip straight to the bottom for a download link.
What’s New
Official Changelog:
Read the full post on Android Police
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It happens, the story you were originally so excited about has turned into a quagmire. No matter how you struggle to make it work, you just make the mess worse. Should you quit? No, go to the Writer’s Villiage The Wicked Writer Blog, and find some quick fixes that can help get your story back on track!
by John Yeoman on Friday, June 24, 2016
So your story ‘doesn’t work’. You’ve worried it to death. You’ve cut stuff out. You’ve put it back in again. Now you’re wondering for the nth time if that comma in line three should really have been a semi-colon or a full stop.
Stop!
Isn’t it time to junk the whole wretched tale and start again?
No. Your story might still be rescued, faults and all. Here are eleven sneaky ways. (‘Sneaky’ because they’re quick fixes and don’t pretend to be complete writing strategies.)
I’ll start with a typical story ‘fault’, listed in no particular order, then suggest a remedy or two.
1. You have too many scene shifts or ‘jump cuts’.
A proven way to ramp up your story’s pace is to shift quickly between episodes. End one scene on a note of rising tension then cut to a different scene entirely. Close that scene on a question, mystery or hint of imminent conflict.
Then shift back to the previous scene.
It’s a great technique. Problem is, the story becomes a ping-pong match. And the reader drops the ball…
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Literary devices are the spice of books. They add interest and depth to a story. Laura Drake explains the differences and gives some examples over at Writers In The Storm.
We just finished binge watching Penny Dreadful on TV and loved how the theme seemed to be that those who sought immortality didn’t find peace, but those who died did. What is your favorite literary device example?
June 24th, 2016 By Laura Drake
I love almost all literary devices, but the three in this post’s title are my favorites. I’m sure you heard of them, and have probably used them in your writing, but you may not know the definitions, so here they are:
Motif is any recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story. Through its repetition, a motif can help produce other narrative (or literary) aspects such as theme.
Theme is what the author is trying to tell the reader. For example, the belief in the ultimate good in people, or that things are not always what they seem. This is often referred to as the “moral of the story.”
Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense.
Thematic Patterning means the insertion of a recurring motif in a narrative.
I’ve used all of them in my books: An ugly scar, to remind the readers of the protagonist’s guilt and shame (Nothing Sweeter). A cowgirl hat to signify the protagonist’s reluctance to change (Sweet on You). White roses, to remind a mother of her grief (The Sweet Spot). Even a motorcycle, to show a character’s running from her past (Her Road Home).
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Author Tools – things to help you get your writing done
Today’s post from Live Write Thrive reminds me of the old question “How do you eat an elephant?” The is answer is, of course, one bite at a time. C. S. Lakin explains on how to use this strategy to move forward on your writing career one word at a time.
June 24, 2016
Today’s guest post is by Kait Fowlie:
Personal brand-building activities usually take the backseat for writers who work full-time jobs or want to spend as much time as possible actually writing. Many of the writers I know “should” themselves into being active on social media, writing blog posts, and the like, and this makes the job an energy sucker.
One solution I’ve found helpful here is the micromovements strategy, a tiny-step by tiny-step approach that’s helped me create momentum (and stave off overwhelm) in my own efforts, while also making sure I’m spending the majority of my time and focus on writing.
What Micromovements Are
The concept was introduced by SARK in her book Juicy Pens, Thirsty Paper: Gifting the World with Your Words and Stories, and Creating the Time and Energy to Actually Do It. According to the author, micromovements are small actions that take as little as five seconds or up to five minutes that accomplish part of a big project.
For tracking movements, the author recommends creating a “micromovements wheel” that shows the ultimate goal in the middle, and surrounding it, the small, simple micromovements that (ideally) require daily action over time to “amount to” the goal.
Doing and tracking daily micromovements can help to gradually complete any creative project, but I’ve found this strategy especially ideal for the goal of growing an online presence, which requires a lot of time to be spent on social media and other writers’ blogs, and can be a slippery slope where productivity quickly becomes pure distraction and self-comparison.
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We have talked about how important having a good cover is, after all it is what your story is first judged by. But did you know that just having your cover redesigned professionally can do wonders for sales? Jane Friedman explains.
Posted on June 23, 2016 by Alexander von Ness
Today’s guest post is from graphic designer Alexander von Ness (@AlexandervonNes), founder of Nessgraphica and Bookcoverpedia.
Authors may spend a fortune on book editing, but leave very little for the cover design—thus forgetting that the cover is the reader’s first impression of the book.
If you are a well-known author, your books may sell themselves because readers trust the story or the content, but if you are new, then you need to make a statement with the first thing a reader sees: the book cover design. And if your existing book cover design isn’t currently making a good impression, you may want to consider a professional redesign.
Last year, I had almost the same amount of work with redesigns of already-published books as with new books. Even a simple redesign of a book cover can create miracles marketing-wise. Some authors have even requested redesigns of over ten books after seeing how much a book cover redesign can increase sales. A professional book cover design isn’t just a sign of good content but appreciation of your own hard work.
In the next few examples of real book cover redesigns, I offer a short explanation of the challenges and goals I had in redesigning each cover.
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Time markers are little hints that keep your readers oriented in your story. Often they are just little details but they help move the story along smoothly. I will admit that I never thought about it, but now that Mary Carroll Moore has brought it to my attention, I see the affect in my favorite stories. Head over to How to Plan, Write, and Develop a Book to learn more.
by Mary Carroll Moore Friday, June 24, 2016
A few months ago, I began exchanging chapters with a writer who has an incredible skill with something called “time markers.” I feel very lucky to have her reading my chapters with time in mind. She has caught my natural sloppiness the way a good editor might, saving me and my reader from going off track and losing the story thread.
Are you aware of time markers in your story? They’re vital in fiction and memoir, even in nonfiction. They’re the little mentions of where we are in place, time of day, day of the week, even season, so that readers slide effortlessly through the sequence of events.
Many professional writers use timeline charts as part of their storyboarding or outlining process. They take each person in the story, for instance, and write a timeline of their events in sequence. What time of year it happens (season), then what day, then what time of day. It seems nit-picky when you’re in early drafts, and I don’t usually pay much attention at that stage, but in later revision it’s essential.
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In The News – Articles Of Interest For Authors
Writer’s Block, the bane of every writer. Here comes science to the rescue! If you have ever suffered from this affliction, read on at the Freelancer’s Union Blog to find out which type of blocker you are and how to solve the problem!
by Laura Brockett Murphy Jul 15, 2016
Ah, writer’s block. It befalls the best of us. Sometimes it can be as mild as fifteen minutes of banging your head against the desk, but it can also be so severe that it takes years off your writing life – or brings it to a close altogether. Writer’s block engenders feelings of impotence, which creates a kind of cyclical reinforcement.
Luckily, psychologists have spent some time trying to figure out what happens when a writer stops writing. In her article for The New Yorker, Maria Konnikova covers research on writer’s block and remedies for the problem.
In the 1970’s and ‘80’s Yale University psychologists Jerome Singer and Michael Barrios recruited a diverse group of writers – some of whom were blocked and some of whom were fine. The psychologists found that all of the blocked writers were unhappy – and each unhappy in her own way.
The researchers were able to distill the blocked writers into 4 distinct types:
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I don’t know about you, but I am totally overwhelmed with dealing with social media. It takes time to really connect and do justice to the people who are wonderful enough to engage with you. So when I read Jane Friedman‘s post on managing social media, I knew I wasn’t the only one. It has some great tips!
June 22, 2016 by Chris Syme
Today’s guest post is from social media expert Chris Syme (@cksyme). Learn about her June master class.
Social media boasts some pretty staggering numbers: nearly two-thirds of American adults use social media. And 70 percent of those users ages thirteen and up are on Facebook, according to the Pew Research Center.
Authors feel the steady pressure to be on social media channels promoting themselves, promoting their books, and searching for those ever-elusive readers. Some marketers tout it like it’s a magic pill, encouraging authors to be in every possible corner of the social media universe. After all, you don’t want to miss anybody, right?
The trouble with this advice is that it is antithetical to the present marketing culture. Marketing in this day and age is not about casting a wide net to get all the fish. It’s about knowing who your audience is, understanding where the best spots to find them are, and going narrow with the best channels for optimum results. If you want maximum results from your social media channels, less is more.
Fewer Channels Means More Engagement
I have long been an advocate of being on fewer social media channels to maximize engagement. There are several reasons for that, but I’ll give you the main three:
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Just for fun – because everyone deserves a break
Unless you are using a pen and paper, (more power to you!) you are using a qwerty keyboard. For a little Friday fun, why not brush up on your typing skills with a typing game. It is like the old video game Galaga, you have to type the letters to shoot them out of the sky before they land on you. It gets harder.
Helpful hint, watch out for the big words, they can spawn babies! Also it does play music but when you start a game, in the upper top left corner is a little faint button that loads the options, and you can turn the volume off there. What is your best high score? zty.pe
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One of the tougher decisions for authors is to sign up with Amazon exclusively, through KDP select, and get higher rewards, or to go with a variety of vendors and get lesser monies from Amazon. Marcy Kennedy tries to help you decide what is best for you. Head on over to Fiction University to learn more. What have your experiences been?
Thursday, June 23
By Marcy Kennedy, @MarcyKennedy
Part of the Indie Author Series
One of the choices we need to make when we publish our book is whether we’re going to distribute wide or go exclusive. Up until this point, I’ve always gone wide, but with a new series scheduled for release in November, the idea of going exclusive has been on my mind a lot lately.
Distributing wide means that we’ll offer our book for sale at all the major retailers—Amazon, Barnes & Noble, AppleiBooks, and Kobo at least.
Going exclusive, at this point, means we’re putting our ebook into Amazon’s KDP Select program. Amazon’s terms of service for the KDP Select program state that we can’t sell or give away the enrolled ebooks anywhere else. You agree to this exclusivity for 90 days at a time, and then you can either continue in the program for another 90 days or opt out. In exchange, they offer you some perks they don’t offer to books that aren’t enrolled.
Three important things we need to keep in mind are…
Don’t confuse this with simply publishing through Kindle Direct Publishing. They’re not the same thing. KDP Select is an option for authors who publish through Kindle Direct Publishing, but you can publish on the Kindle Direct Publishing portal without enrolling in KDP select. Enrollment isn’t automatic or mandatory.
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Sometimes when you haven’t thought about something for a long time you don’t quite remember it the way you should. So today we bring you the Daily Writing Tips‘ article on capitalization within quotations.
By Mark Nichol
When the syntax of a sentence containing a quotation is not straightforward, it can be difficult to determine whether the first word should be capitalized and which punctuation marks, if any, should attend the quotation. The following sentences illustrate some of the pitfalls, and discussions and revisions point to their solutions.
1. After years of finger-pointing, Smith says “enough is enough” and is filing suit against Jones.
The statement may seem insignificant, but it is a complete sentence and should be treated as one; it should also be preceded by a comma following the attribution (“Smith says”): “After years of finger-pointing, Smith says, “Enough is enough” and is filing suit against Jones. (Note, too, that no punctuation follows the quotation, because what follows is not an independent clause; it would be one if it included a noun or pronoun after and: “After years of finger-pointing, Smith says, “Enough is enough,” and he is filing suit against Jones.”)
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Bookbub is one of the bigger options out there for book marketing. at Self Publishing Advice Center shares her tips on how to utilize Bookbub and the advantages and disadvantages that they offer. For an alternative approach you can also try BookGorilla and Kindle Nation Daily. Full disclosure, I do work for both of those sites but have no reservations recommending them.
By Jane Davis on June 11, 2016
Award-winning English author Jane Davis shares her successful case study of using book promotion service BookBub to market her literary novels.
Why BookBub?
Jane Davis used BookBub to boost the sales of her novel with the fewest recent sales
There’s little doubt about it, BookBub is the Holy Grail of ebook advertising. I have heard them talk about their huge successes in promoting romantic fiction and sci-fi, but I write literary fiction. Would it work for me?
With BookBub, you don’t simply hand over your cash. You apply for an advertising slot and wait to hear (a) whether your application is accepted and (b) when it will run. They had turned me down twice in the past, but I hadn’t been prepared to give my work away before. My sales figures had never been so low at the beginning of 2016. I knew I had to break the pattern.
Given the date 13 March, I chose to promote A Funeral for an Owl. With only four purchases in the quarter leading up to February 2016, it was my worst performing book. At the same time, I hold great affection for its characters and the story – despite the fact that it lost me a publishing deal!
What does a BookBub ad cost?
Two factors influence the price of a coveted BookBub slot. One is genre. The other is price (either 99p/99c or free). My BookBub ad for UK, US and Canada cost £215 (Literary, free). BookBub also offer advertising in India, but Amazon declined to price-match for that region.
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What is holding you back in your writing career? It is very appropriate that this article come from Writers In The Storm, as I know there are a lot of writers who struggle with different obstacles to reach their goals. I know for me there are a few fears that I struggle with including, of course, finding time. Jamie Raintree wrote a great article on how she recognized and over came her fears to be more successful with her writing.
June 22nd, 2016
By Jamie Raintree
I started writing my first novel 8 years ago, almost to the day. (I don’t know why I’ll always remember it was July 12th that I wrote those first fateful words.) I had already been writing for years, mostly short stories and some failed attempts at novels, but there was something about this time that was going to be different.
It wasn’t so much that this story idea was any better than the rest. It was more a state-of-mind. I had recently discovered National Novel Writing Month, and along with that, the realization that yes, truly anyone could write a novel. Before then, it had seemed like a pipe dream–something to poke at in the dark corners of my space and time.
That book did end up becoming my first complete novel, but I still didn’t consider myself a “writer.” I’d managed to find the time over those six months to complete a first draft, but there was still so much I didn’t know. It was still just a “hobby.” I hadn’t made it a priority in my life.
ANSWERING THE CALL
Over the next few years, I had my two girls. Through the exhaustion of two pregnancies and the endless sleepless nights that come with newborns, I continued to write because I couldn’t not write, and because in all the chaos, it was my lifeline.
I didn’t think too hard about what writing would mean for my future–it took every ounce of energy I had just to make it through the day.
When my second (and final, for sure!) daughter turned one, life started to finally settle into a routine. The girls weren’t quite so dependent on me, and with that opportunity to breathe and regroup, I had to take a look at what role writing was going to play in my future. Would it continue to be dirty little secret or was I going to make a career of it? In my heart of hearts, I always knew it would be the latter, but being a young mother had been a convenient (and valid) place for me to hide, avoiding the next step. Because let’s face it, declaring yourself a career writer is scary, and the path is hard. We’ve been hearing since we first picked up the pen that it’s almost impossible to make it in this industry, so why set ourselves up for failure? Why put myself out there for rejection?
Nevertheless, I reluctantly decided to move in that direction. I wasn’t 100% sure it was what I wanted or that it was even possible, but felt like it was time to either sink or swim.
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