Readers' wants and expectations

cj Sez: I rediscovered one of my archived posts about my path to creative writing, and I’ve excerpted it here. Hope you can find a useful nugget in here:

Readers have different expectations/wants

  My first drafts are crappy and sparse, mainly for two reasons: First, first drafts are supposed to be crappy, and second. before a screenwriter course turned me on to creative writing, I was once a corporate journalist/editor tasked with relating the gist of a story in limited line space.

  When I’m finished with the first draft, and the manuscript has its usual dearth of details, I start work expanding details: The five senses…hear, see, taste, smell, feel… and the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the plot.

  I incorporate some action descriptors, but I consider too many of them stage directions. Some writers use them much like adverbs to “tell” their readers what to think or as a way to add words to a short manuscript.

 

  Action needs to have purpose. If describing an action doesn't contribute to the reader's knowledge of the character, scene conflict, or mood, then it’s stage direction. I write mostly suspense and thrillers and have a minimalist approach to action—using few words speeds up the pace and heightens the tension. On the other hand, readers of cozy mysteries or more narrative-based novels want, and expect, to know every detail.

  Adding or withholding detail is a good way to control the pace of your novel. Even in suspense and thrillers, there are places where the reader needs a breather from the action. These would be the spots where I add more detail or beats. Places where I can reveal more of the characters’ growth, i.e., transformation, as the plot progresses.

  Hint: Adding detail words slows the pace; being stingy speeds it up.

  When action is needed to set some mood for the scene, then yes, I detail the action. Sometimes I add details to slow the action and increase the tension. If I want a character to give the reader a sense of impending danger and fear, then I add more description to the action. I tend to follow the lead of my favorite authors—Robert Parker and James Lee Burke. Their succinct style of writing is what I like to read, and it is their fans who are my target market.

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Author and Reader Notes

Be sure to stop by next week when Kathleen Kaska, author of the award-winning Sydney Lockhart Mystery Series shares her path to securing a publisher to reissue her books.

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  In a recent Jane Friedman blog post, Susan DeFreitas (@manzanitafire), an award-winning author, editor, and book coach, says writers can make their protagonist “too good.”

When It Comes to Characters We Love, Vulnerability, Not Likeability, Is Key | Jane Friedman

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Author quote:

  “All writing is difficult. The most you can hope for is a day when it goes reasonably easily. Plumbers don’t get plumber’s block, and doctors don’t get doctor’s block; why should writers be the only profession that gives a special name to the difficulty of working, and then expects sympathy for it?”  —Philip Pullman

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Congratulations to fellow Mobile Writers Guild member Carrie Dalby on the upcoming release of LOYALTY, the third book in her meticulously researched historical Washington Square Secrets series. 

  LOYALTY will launch August 27 and is currently available for preorder.  Buy Loyalty Now      

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  Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.

cj

Now some words from my sponsors:

  THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are available on Amazon or through your favorite eTailer and bookstore. Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

  Nota bene: My local indy book store, The Haunted Book Shop, has a few signed copies of my paperback books in stock. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us 

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The magic of editing

cj Sez: I'm sure I've told you this before, but the story never gets old. Did you ever open a book, read a few chapters (or even a few lines), then discover errata, i.e.; those typos and misspellings that drive a pedantic like me up a wall. One or two will make me shake my head; gremlins happen. A lot of them will stop me in my tracks.

 

 Perhaps it comes down to the time it takes to do a detailed copy edit vs. getting the book on the market as fast as possible.

(Copy editing is the process of reviewing and correcting written material to improve accuracy, readability, and fitness for its purpose, and to ensure that it is free of error, omission, inconsistency, and repetition.)

  Speaking from experience, self-edits and beta readers don’t catch everything that a professional copy editor will.

  When I was gainfully employed, one of my report/column-writing rules was to get as many people as possible to read the document for accuracy and gremlins. The more eyes on it the better the end product. That wasn’t easy to do as I was always on the clock to deliver the corporation’s news via electronic distribution by eleven a.m. every day, and reading my work wasn’t on the top of someone else’s to-do list.

  That bit about the more eyes? The same thing is true for an author’s manuscript. But first, I, me, personally, do extensive self-edits. I want my manuscript to be the best I can make it before I pass it off to someone else. 

  I read the document on the computer screen then print a few pages and edit them in ink. (The font looks slightly different on the printed page and gremlins tend to show up better.) 

  Next I read the pages out loud. It’s amazing how quickly I’ll find the missing comma, period, or quotation mark that I keep overlooking, and, more importantly, I’ll also discover confusing narrative and awkward dialogue. 

  After all that, I can be sure there is still a gremlin to be found by my editor.

  My advice to authors: Don’t presume that because you’ve typed “The End,” your manuscript is finished. It’s probably weeks if not months away from publication. It needs fresh eyes. It’s a personal and financial consideration for each author, but please consider hiring a copy editor if you can afford it.  

  Caveat: Expect that if your manuscript is accepted by a publisher, their punctuation rules for how they want their publication to look may differ from your copy editor’s input. There could be, probably will be, more changes to be made.

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Readers and Writers: Titles for your stack of have-to-read books

Buy Callahan now

  Book 5 of Rebecca Barrett’s Cat Callahan Mystery series is now available. 

  Here’s an excerpt of a 5-star Amazon review for CAT CALLAHAN AND THE SPY: 

  “Loved the mystery, the characters had me laughing and seeing a mystery solved through the eyes of a cat, well that is always an intriguing experience. A thoroughly enjoyable read.”

 

  And mark your calendar to watch for the third book in Carrie Dalby’s Washington Square Secrets series. 

  From Dalby’s author page: “WASHINGTON SQUARE SECRETS is a historical Southern Gothic series with a paranormal/parapsychology slant by Carrie Dalby. Rather than an ongoing saga, Washington Square Secrets consists of stand-alone novels with the Mobile, Alabama, neighborhood and overlapping characters in common. Return to old Mobile–or visit for the first time–and get to know the charm and hostilities within this bay front city with small town vibes. LOYALTY: WASHINGTON SQUARE SECRETS 3 releases August 27, 2024.”

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  By the by, as the masthead of Lyrical Pens says, if you have a book you want to promote with a blog, let me know. We can arrange a date. The only caveat is that this site is PG 13.

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  Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours. P.S. I sure do hope there are no gremlins in this post.)

cj

Now some words from my sponsors:

  Father’s Day is coming up—Lyrical Pens suggests books, the gift that keeps on giving.

  Beach? Mountains? StayCay? It’s time to plan for those holiday and summer vacation downtime moments when you can lose yourself in a book. THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are available on Amazon or through your favorite eTailer and bookstore. Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

  Nota bene: Angela Trigg, the RITA Award-winning author and owner of The Haunted Book Shop has a few signed copies of my paperback books in stock. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us 

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Let's talk villains and heroes

cj Sez: Let’s talk about how to write a “real” villain. The antagonist, like the protagonist, needs a yen and a yang to be a whole person—i.e., a personality where seemingly opposite forces may be complementary, where, together, the dual personalities make the whole.

The yin yang symbol is often referred to as "taijitu"
 —a Chinese symbol that represents the interconnection of two opposites.

  Captivating stories require that both protagonist and antagonist need some kind of flaw to make the characters interesting. Perhaps the villain’s flaw is that s/he is not thoroughly evil but hides some spark of sympathetic “good” inside. Maybe s/he sends money to an animal rescue shelter because of the memory of a cherished childhood pet. Or the antagonist supports an invalid mother with the money earned from doing evil deeds. 

  Like the protagonist, the antagonist needs motivation, a goal, and some psychological reason for that motivation. A perfect villain is the same thing as a perfect hero, a cartoon of a character. You have to ask the same questions of the antagonist that you do of the protagonist; the questions that lead to the plot and theme: What does s/he want, why, and what will s/he do to reach the goal?

  Maybe s/he wants to do something as benign as to cause a little family ruckus in order to get attention. Or maybe s/he wants to kill someone. But why? The answer to that is what helps to give the character dimension as s/he pushes toward their goal.

  Depending on how involved they are in the story, it follows that tertiary characters require a bit of similar development.

  Authors really have to know their characters. I write little bios for all my characters, including the villain. When I’ve created their background worlds, I know what makes them tick, how they will react, and what they will say in the situation I create. Their backgrounds are never inserted as an info dump, though pieces and bits may surface during their dialogues. Knowing my characters inside and out also helps me develop deep point of view scenes.

  As readers, what do you expect from the characters? As writers, how do you get to know your characters?

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  In last week’s post, LP wrote about author brands. Mobile author Carrie Dalby has such a signature brand. She writes Southern Gothic stories, incorporating the historic architecture of Mobile, Alabama, in her settings. Her latest effort is ALLIANCE: WASHINGTON SQUARE SECRETS 2, which launches on Tuesday, December 5…it’s available for pre-order through your favorite bookstore/app.

  Carrie says: “ALLIANCE is a fast-paced paranormal Southern Gothic as opposed to the slower pace of my family sagas. There is a new cast of diverse characters, as well as a few familiar faces and locations. I hope you'll find time during this holiday season to read. The main section of the book is set December 1912-January 1913 with Christmas and New Year's scenes.”

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  A book signing is in your future should you choose to stop by The Haunted Book Shop on Dec. 8, from 6 p.m.to 8 p.m. during Mobile’s LoDa Art Walk. Local authors, Rebecca Barrett and Carrie Dalby are being featured, so if you’re in the Mobile, AL, area, you are cordially invited to stop by and say “hey!”

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  Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.

cj

Now some words from my sponsors:

  Christmas is THE gift-giving holiday of the year, and books are always great suggestions for gifts—they don’t require daily watering, they’re not fattening, and they are very easy to wrap, even two or three at a time. 

  I have stories in several anthologies with Christmas as the theme. Here are two to put on your shopping list:

Christmas Through a Child’s Eyes

  This anthology has 70 stories written by adults recounting their extraordinary childhood Christmas memories. 

  Written under my maiden name of Marilyn Olsein, my short story is titled “Dancing with Daddy,” and relates how, after a major upheaval in our lives, six-year-old me reconnected with the Swedish father I could no longer understand.  The anthology is free on Kindle.  Buy Now   

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FINALLY HOME brings you eight Christmas stories all about our four-legged friends and the special people who rescue them. From funny, to sad, to romantic, there’s something here to tug at everyone’s heart strings. 

  My short story, "Puppy Love," is included.

  Buy Button:: 

* Price Increase Alert:  My novels, THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA will be going up in price on Jan 1, 2024. Right now, they are priced at only $2.99.

  The novels are fast-paced, thriller/suspense stories with sassy banter and a smidgen of romance. The books are available on Amazon or through your favorite eTailer and bookstore. Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

  Little note: Angela Trigg, the RITA Award-winning author and owner of The Haunted Book Shop has a few signed copies of my paperback books in stock. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us  

  If she happens to be sold out, shoot me an email. I have a small stash (with a discounted price plus shipping).

 

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Introducing . . .

cj Sez: This holiday season  . . .

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  A favorite “shop local” bookstore of mine that carries my books is The Haunted Book Shop, which is owned by Raven award-winning author Angela Quarles. 

How pretty !

  An avid reader, Angela writes books she'd like to read—laugh-out-loud, smart romances that suck you into her worlds and won't let you go.

  In addition to carrying the works of national and international popular authors, The Haunted Book Shop has books written by many of my fellow Mobile Writers Guild members. Here are a few:

Carrie Dalby Author

Candice Marley Connor (books available now)

   If you can't come on down to browse the shelves, you can support this Indy book store by buying on-line. To order, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us 

  Interested in having a signed book by one of the authors? This is how to request one: After you choose the book you want, select “shipping” then add it to the cart. When you check out, scroll all the way to the bottom of the screen to find a text box labeled “Add a note for the seller.” That’s where you request a signed copy. We’ll be happy to run by the shop and sign the copy before it’s shipped.

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  But wait, there’s more . . .

BUY NOW

   Each of the anthologies is a two-fer—you get a variety of wonderful stories to read and part of the proceeds go to benefit a worthwhile charity. (Note: I have a short story in each anthology.)

   These ebooks are available for 99 cents at the time of this post . . . Get all three for $2.97 !! 

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

Happy Reading! 

cj 

➜ Follow me on . . .           

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cj Sez:  When I posted on Facebook that I wasn’t having a lot of trouble with social distancing or quarantine requirements because I’m a writer, son replied…

Sounds like a motto to me.

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   Congratulations to fellow Mobile Writers Guild member Carrie Dalby on the release of SCARRED MEMORIES, the fourth book in The Possession Chronicles Series … currently 99 cents on Amazon.  

Buy now https://amzn.to/3bqZcxS

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Tidbits of info to share:

   If you’re thinking about using song lyrics in your novel, read this:   https://www.ingramspark.com/blog/quoting-song-lyrics-in-a-book-4-factors-fair-use

....

   This Bookbaby article on "Tons of material and nothing to write" is so true for me (I spend a lot of time “growing" into the story,) that I thought there might other authors out there who could be reassured they are on the right path.     https://bit.ly/2KfZATF

....

   Here’s a blog with answers to some of the questions authors ask when filing their tax returns (is it a hobby?): https://writersinthestormblog.com/2020/04/tax-time-chat-for-authors/

Public Service Announcements

    The Internal Revenue Service announced that the federal income tax filing due date is automatically extended from April 15, 2020, to July 15, 2020.

Read more here: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/filing-and-payment-deadlines-questions-and-answers

….

   The Alabama Department of Revenue also announced that the income tax filing due date is extended…Read more here: https://revenue.alabama.gov/individual-corporate/due-dates/

   Not in Alabama? Check with your state’s Department of Revenue.

….

Reminder: The 2020 U.S. Census is ongoing, and your answers are important for your community's federal funding.

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Pre-launch sale!     My paranormal, short story, “Love is Immortal,” is included in BIENVENUE to the CHATEAU ROUGE anthology scheduled for release May 12.  Pre- order now at 99 cents!    https://books2read.com/u/bpOMw9

....

And here’s a bonus book...Lagniappe is free, gratis, no charge! 

The authors of BIENVENUE to the CHATEAU ROUGE, have joined together to give you a little something extra. Lagniappe is a collection of novellas and short stories to you a sneak peek at the writers who have stories included in the anthology release.

   Read the teasers and download Lagniappe here   https://bit.ly/2WNYDtu      

…

ARCs of the anthology become available soon.  If you’re interested in reading the ARC and can promise to post an honest review on Amazon and Goodreads on the day the book launches (May 12), let me know. Send a note to cjpetterson@gmail.com and include your name, email, and the format you prefer.

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Correction: I just found out that the untitled "and the people stayed home" poem used in my post of April 5 was misattributed. It properly belongs to Kitty O’Meara who wrote it in 2020. I had, unfortunately, not thoroughly re-vetted the source. The poem is still perfect, I think.

 

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

cj

   Autographed print copies of my novels CHOOSING CARTER and DEADLY STAR are available at The Haunted Book Shop. Anthologies in which I have stories, including THE POSSE, the Bienvenue Press Christmas charity series, and the Mobile Writers Guild PIECES series are also available there.

   If they don’t happen to have a copy of any book(s), by any author that you want, they’ll place an order for you.

   TO ORDER (and support an indie bookstore) contact The Haunted Bookshop here: The Haunted Bookshop  Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and an award-winning author in her own right (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you the book(s) of your choice. If you’re in Mobile area, do stop in at the book store; it’s a neat place to browse.

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