Guest Post

HAVE A BOOK TO PROMOTE? Lyrical Pens welcomes guest posts. Answer a questionnaire or create your own post. FYI, up front: This site is a definite PG-13. For details, contact cjpetterson@gmail.com cj

Sunday, June 25, 2017

My path to publication

cj Sez: I’m happy to again be able to talk with you about my path to publication in the hope that maybe you’ll find a nugget in here that encourages you to continue on your own path.

I didn’t start writing seriously until I moved to Mobile, AL, in 2002. Since then, I’ve written some personal essays and short stories that have been published in several different anthologies, the latest being "Bad Day at Round Rock" in THE POSSE anthology. When Crimson Romance published my first novel, DEADLY STAR, in 2013, my sister said, “You wrote a whole book? All by yourself?” Yep, that was the summation of my perceived writing skills.

My first interest was in screenwriting. In 2000 or 2001, I think it was, I flew from Detroit to San Francisco to take a three-day seminar from Robert McKee who conducts screenwriting seminars in different cities around the United States and has published a book called STORY. His personalization to me in the book was “Write the truth” which is part of his motto and which I study hard to do.

The experience was invaluable because I began to visualize my stories in terms of the characters’ action-dialogue-and scenes that show the story. How characters react and what they don’t say can speak volumes. I see my scenes as if I’m watching them happen, as in a movie. I do know authors who visualize a particular movie star playing the heroine/hero in their books. Is that something you do? I don’t see a specific person. After I sell the movie rights (HA HA), I’ll leave it to Stephen Spielberg or Francis Ford Coppola to find the best mega-star for the role. To be honest, though, I think Pierce Brosnan would be perfect as the hero in DEADLY STAR.

For most us, and I’m very much included in that generalization, we have a wonderful idea on a theme. (Let me say right here that I don’t plot. I’m a pantser or more accurately, a pathfinder. I know how I want the story to end, but getting there is the exciting part for me.) It’s the middle that really gets us. It wants to sag. Like an old married couple, sometimes the excitement fades away after a while—unless, like that old married couple, we work at it.  

Working at it may mean changing some things around. When I make changes in the middle, it almost always mean rewriting the first chapter more than a few times. What helps me out is to read the dialogue aloud. Does it sound natural? Are the sentences so complete and full of blah-blah information that they slow the pace of the story? I’m currently reading a contest submission that reads like a daily journal. I appreciate that the author is introducing the reader to the main character. However, there are no teasers that entice me to keep turning the pages until the middle of page three. 

Sluggish pacing can happen in any part of a novel, but it very often happens in the middle of a story. When the dreaded saggy middle shows up, I may need to reinvent someone, maybe add another challenge (read that conflict) or two for the protagonist to bring back the thrill.  Structured pacing also suffers when I’m trying to get the word count up. As a former journalist and an admirer of Robert B. Parker’s writing style, I write very tight. My first drafts average about 62,000 words. However, extra words that slow the pacing and detract from the story seem to fly onto the pages when I’m racing to type “The End.”

Once I get the concept down and slog through the research, writing any story is all about editing and changes. Sometimes, I see a need to change a character’s name, a story thread, a sentence structure, or, as was true for DEADLY STAR, the whole genre.

DEADLY STAR didn’t start off as a romance. Over the course of writing and editing the manuscript, which took about four years (do I write slow or what?), one of my critique partners thought the story might be marketed as an action/adventure. Another said it was a woman-in-peril story, a third said political thriller. Someone even floated the idea that it was sci-fi.

Then, because there was a love scene in the story—let me add a disclaimer here, it isn’t a bodice-tearing romp—I recklessly entered excerpts of the manuscript into two romance contests. The judges in each thought the concept and story were good, except it needed a happily ever after ending. One judge said she was tempted to throw it against the wall because it didn’t meet the HEA criterion. I decided the story might work as a romantic suspense novel if I made a change, or three, within the manuscript and, of course, changed the ending.

Revisions done, Crimson Romance offered me a contract about three weeks after I submitted my e-query and synopsis, and DEADLY STAR was published eleven months later. I’d stumbled…been pushed, really…into the correct genre.

The message is this: Don’t be afraid or unwilling to make changes in your manuscript but do so with a caveat. Before you make wholesale changes, be sure you’ve looked at the manuscript as objectively as possible. Put the piece aside, for several days at least, much longer if possible.

You can ask any of my critique partners, and they’ll tell you I’m making changes to my WIP as the pages leave my computer and are headed for theirs. I’ve been known to send an immediate follow-up note screaming in all capital letters: DON’T PRINT WHAT I JUST SENT YOU. HERE’S THE LATEST AND GREATEST.

After working with CEOs and vice presidents and directors who loved to thumbprint every piece of paper that crossed their desks, I do understand that my words, no matter how beautiful I think they are, are not carved in stone. And, if I can’t use them in one story, I can save them for another.

When I do need to consider a wholesale change to my manuscript, I try to keep in mind that, as one of my critique partners always said, I am the captain of my story. Change can be a good thing, but to change or not to change is up to me.

That’s all for now. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. And to all my writer friends, I hope all your characters are happy in your head . . . we're all doing pretty well in mine. Comments? Questions? There's a spot open and waiting for those at the bottom of the post.

cj
And now a word from my sponsors:
COMING ATTRACTIONS . . . Arriving July 10:  A new Crimson Romance bundle about athletes and the sports they love, Bodies in Motion, includes Choosing Carter (rafting and off-roading)     Watch for it on Amazon.
Ebook bundles still available on Amazon:  More Than Friends and California Kisses 

 “Bad Day at Round Rock” short story in The Posse anthology @ http://amzn.to/2lQRvcD
newsletter sign-up at cjpetterson@gmail.com

Sunday, June 18, 2017

Briefly . . .

cj Sez: Haven’t been feeling up to snuff for the past couple of days so this post is going to be brief. (*See below for the reason.) What follows are stream-of-consciousness thoughts about how to Support Your Local Writers, whether you’re a writer or a reader.  

Encourage each other. Writing is not a competition; everyone can be successful.

If you’re a writer . . .
. . . and have your own blog, invite guests to post. Lyrical Pens does do that, though we haven’t been graced with a guest for a few weeks. (Got a post to share? eMail me at cjpetterson@gmail.com) When you have a guest scheduled, send out “Coming Attractions” promotions on Facebook, Twitter, et al.

Read and be willing to give your fellow authors’ work a fair critique. Be kind but be honest.

If they want to just sit and talk, grab a chair and listen. Writing is a lonely occupation, and most other people don't understand.

If you’re a yet-to-be-published writer, work on your brand. If you don’t have a business card, get one. GotPrint and Vista Print can do a bunch for not much money. (I paid $23 at GotPrint, which included about $7 shipping, for 250 double-sided cards.) Hand it out to agents, workshop instructors, fellow writers, wherever you have an opportunity to network. Get your name out there as early as possible so they can watch for your new release. Some variation of the one that follows is my suggestion:

Name  Jane Doe, Author
Writer of XXX (literary fiction, historical fiction, non-fiction, YA, romance, whatever)
eMail address
website (or Facebook) address

Now, if you’re a reader (and since writers are also readers, this applies to everyone) . . .

. . . like and comment on authors' posts on their Facebook pages. Facebook's algorithms only show posts that FB thinks other members would like to see. That means the more likes and comments a post gets, the more people will see it. 


Go to book signings, even if you can’t afford to buy the book at that time. Your attendance is encouraging. I’ve been to book signings where the author and I were the only two people there. I been the author at signings where . . . well, never mind. With a little planning, you can keep that from happening to another author.   


*Why am I not up to snuff, you ask? An army of ants marched into my bedroom the other night to escape the rain and joined me under the covers. When I dashed out of bed, I stepped into their path. Man, I’m hurting. I’m sleeping on the couch until I’m sure I’ve totally eliminated the invaders from the carpeting, but I’m hanging in there.

That’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj
And now a word from my sponsors:
COMING ATTRACTIONS . . . Arriving July 10:  A new Crimson RomanceBodies in Motion, includes Choosing Carter (rafting and off-roading)     Watch for it on Amazon.
bundle about athletes and the sports they love,
Ebook bundles still available on Amazon:  More Than Friends and California Kisses 

 “Bad Day at Round Rock” short story in The Posse anthology @ http://amzn.to/2lQRvcD
newsletter sign-up at cjpetterson@gmail.com


Sunday, June 11, 2017

Building your author brand

cj Sez: If you saw a new book and the author was Stephen King, you'd expect to read a work of horror/psychological fiction from this prolific storyteller. How about if the author was Dame Agatha Christie? You’d expect something 180 degrees from King’s genre: cozy crime mysteries.

What you’ve just done is recognized these two authors’ unique brands.

If I said, “Murder on the Orient Express,” you’d automatically think cozy mystery written by Agatha Christie.  If I said, “She’s been nominated for the Agatha Award,” you’d know I meant Agatha Christie and you’d know what kind of story is being considered for the award.

Stephen King + Misery (Or Cujo or Carrie or The Shining, et al.) = Stephen King Brand: horror/psychological fiction.

When readers recognize your name, they’ve recognized your brand.

Building your author brand needs to be one of the first things you do, even if you are yet to be published. Start with a Facebook page. It’s free. Set up a blog site, and make sure the theme, style and voice of the two are consistent. Use similar colors and fonts in signage, swag, banners for book signings, and business cards. You want your readers to identify you and your name by your ideas and concepts. I wear my squash blossom necklace to every event I attend. 

Author taglines can be difficult if not misleading if you write in multiple genres, and I don’t have one because of this. But if you can find some link between all of your novels, you can develop a line or two about that common thread. For instance, in THE POSSE anthology, the old West settings, romance, and human interest themes are common among the stories. The tagline: “An Anthology of Historical Western Romances, by seven authentic western writers, is a romping wild ride into the wide open ranges of America’s west – filled with thrills and romance.”

Since I write action/adventure style stories, if someone asks what kind of novels I write, I say: “Jane Bond-style romantic suspense,” and they recognize that I write romance with strong heroines.

Perhaps, like author Carolyn Haines (http://carolynhaines.com ), you are into animal rescues. Make sure your readers know this. Author Tracy Weber is a certified yoga instructor, loves dogs and mysteries, and writes the Downward Dog mysteries  (http://tracyweberauthor.com )

Now you can develop a brand summary by defining who “you” are or what your books are about.

Because Carolyn Haines has written more than 70 books in different genres and under different names, she has brand recognition under different names. She accommodates that brand summary on her website thusly:

“Welcome to my website. I’m a writer, lover of animals, reader, teacher, and mischief maker. Perhaps it’s the last category that I most want to excel at!”

All of the above are just ideas to get you thinking about that important marketing tool, your author brand.

That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Questions? Comments? Drop me a note. I promise to answer.

cj
COMING ATTRACTIONS . . . Arriving July 10:  A new Crimson Romance bundle about athletes and the sports they love, Bodies in Motion, includes Choosing Carter (rafting and off-roading)     Watch for it on Amazon.
Ebook bundles still available on Amazon:  More Than Friends and California Kisses 

“Bad Day at Round Rock” short story in The Posse anthology @ http://amzn.to/2lQRvcD
newsletter sign-up at cjpetterson@gmail.com


Sunday, June 4, 2017

Overused words . . .

cj Sez:  Like the gremlins of misspellings and typos that show up no matter how many times the document is proofread, beta read, edited, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera, I’m still finding repeated words in my manuscripts.

First drafts are usually full of the words that are top-of-mind, the ones with which we are most familiar. These familiar words allow writers to push through that raggedy first document rather than take time to search our minds or a thesaurus for better ones.

It’s when writers get into the rewrite, rewrite, and rewrite mode that we see how our familiar words/phrases simply can’t live up to the task in our manuscripts. They may rise to the surface as trite or overused once we get into the edit cycles.

 My solution is to use Word (or whatever software you’re using) to “Find” how many times you repeat a word. I search my entire manuscript for some word I find too often during a quick review, and then replace or delete (most often delete) the offending repetition. This neat trick often leads to word choice or phrasing improvements that I didn’t see before.

Verbs. I usually start with the things I know I use too often, but one creative writing instructor I know suggests starting with the verbs . . . the “to be” verbs (is, were), but says don’t worry about occasional usage. Next go to active verbs. I find a lot of look, smile, walk, glance, shrug, frown, and variations of each.  How many are too many. I suggest that if they begin to annoy you when you see them in the text, there are too many. I also suggest that you read your work out loud. Overused words will jump off the page and bruise your brain. Yaarrgh!

Nouns. Don’t forget to check for nouns. I always find dozens of coffee, latte, mouth, eyes, eyebrows, and hands. I also check for “then” and “while.” When I find a lot of these, I know I have a problem with poor transitions and a lot of complex sentences that tend to slow down the reader.

Adverbs. Several years ago, The Guardian.com* published Elmore Leonard’s ten rules for writers, and his number 4 is about adverbs.  Said Leonard: “Never use an adverb to modify the verb "said" . . . he admonished gravely. To use an adverb this way (or almost any way) is a mortal sin. The writer is now exposing himself in earnest, using a word that distracts and can interrupt the rhythm of the exchange. I have a character in one of my books tell how she used to write historical romances ‘full of rape and adverbs’.”  (*http://bit.ly/1Xvbg5c )

Mr. Leonard is not alone in offering this advice. That bit about the writer “exposing himself” refers to author intrusion into the reader’s enjoyment of a story. The writer is telling the readers what he/she wants them to know/sense about the character. Writers should never intrude into the reader’s story.  

My suggestion: Find a strong verb that doesn’t need an “ly” helper—i.e., instead of “walked heavily,” perhaps “plodded.”

Adjectives. Are your characters often gorgeous, handsome, tall, sexy, ripped; your rooms large, tiny, trashed? Adjectives are important and necessary, but it’s incumbent on writers to find their own unique voice to describe things. Sometimes it’s by omission of the obvious words.

One of my favorite examples is the opening line of “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley. “A squat, gray building of only thirty-four stories.”  By comparison, the reader is able to visualize that all the buildings in Huxley’s new world are skyscraper tall except that particular one. The building is shorter and uglier (squat, gray) than all the others in this bright new world. The line is a promise of extraordinary things that will happen in that odd building.

I find that the more often I search for and delete or replace overused words, the fewer I find because I am learning to recognize my tendency for repetition. Perhaps you will have the same result.  What are your favorite overused words?  Have you searched for them?

That’s it for this post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

COMING ATTRACTIONS . . . Arriving July 10:  A new Crimson Romance bundle about athletes and the sports they love, Bodies in Motion, includes Choosing Carter (rafting and off-roading)     Watch for it on Amazon.

Ebook bundles still available on Amazon:  More Than Friends and California Kisses


“Bad Day at Round Rock” short story in The Posse anthology @ http://amzn.to/2lQRvcD

newsletter sign-up at cjpetterson@gmail.com