Onward into 2017...and beyond

cj Sez: It seems like I haven’t posted in Lyrical Pens for a year…No, really. The holidaze were so crazy happy, I lost track of time. Now the weather is crazy, but I have to buckle down to work.

 

And more in some places.

As I throw myself headfirst into 2017, I realize I need to come up with some kind of plan to reach my goal of publishing a book or risk abject failure. You know, organized confusion instead of confused organization…oh wait. They’re the same thing. Anyway, here’s my attempt at listing some things to consider on my path to publication this year. Most of them come from recommendations by prolific authors whose work I respect.

Most important:  Read, Read, Read. Books, magazines, whatever I can find in any genre. I want to read 52 books this year. That may not seem much to avid readers, but it's enormous for me.

I'll try to go to at least one conference. Conferences are some of the best ways to keep up with the changes in the publishing industry. Ergo, advice to writers: to get the latest inside info on new technologies, new publications, and to network with colleagues new and old, go to as many craft-based conferences and workshops as you can. If you have a manuscript complete or mostly complete and the conference offers the option, pay for an editor critique of however many pages she/he will accept. Some of my top choices:

“One of the premier mystery writers’ conferences” Annual conference for mystery, suspense and thriller writers.

www.sleuthfest.com/

February 23-26, 2017

“Left Coast Crime is an annual mystery convention sponsored by mystery fans, both readers and authors.”

www.leftcoastcrime.org/2017

Honolulu, Hawaii, March 16-19, 2017

“The premier conference for thriller enthusiasts”

ThrillerFest XII | July 11 - 15, 2017 | Grand Hyatt | New York City ...

www.thrillerfest.com/

“If Traditional Mysteries are your cup of tea”

http://www.malicedomestic.org/

April 28-30, 2017 Hyatt Regency Hotel, Bethesda, MD

“The premiere forum for all genres incorporating mystery, thriller, and suspense”

http://www.killernashville.com/

August 24-27, 2017

The international fan and writer love fest called Bouchercon (last year in New Orleans, in Toronto in 2017) is aptly described by Lawrence Block:

“Fill a hotel with few thousand socially-challenged introverts, folks for whom the ‘I’d rather be reading’ T-shirt was created, and force them to spend a long autumn weekend together, and what have you got? Bouchercon—and you’d be a fool to miss it.”

                                 ~Lawrence Block

“The world mystery convention”

www.bouchercon.com     http://bouchercon2017.com/

Toronto, Canada October 12-15, 2017

 “The SCWC is the best writing conference in the nation.” —

SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN WRITERS CONFERENCE

www.scwconference.com/

Books and other info to have in my writer’s library (my personal list):

Chicago Manual of Style for all the questions writers need to ask.

Standard Grammar texts by Random House or Prentice Hall,

Harcourt Brace (“Harbrace”)

Other Questions about Hyphenation:  Fellow Sisters-in-Crime/Guppy member Kaye George wisely counsels writers: “Don't be afraid to use the language your own way. English is fluid. I did an essay on this once. The natural progression of two-word terms is from two words to hyphenation to combined. So, from log in to log-in to login. Eventually it'll be login everywhere. Many words are in transition, hence confusion will probably always reign.” Here’s where to find her essay: https://allthingswriting.blogspot.com/2012_08_01_archive.html

      cj ez: Scroll down to “Blue Moon” on August 27, 2012.

Point of View

The Power of Point of View by Alicia Rasley

Writing the Intimate Character by Jordan Rosenfeld

Don't Sabotage Your Submission by Chris Roerden (chapter 11)

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Browne & King

Revision and Self-Editing by James Scott Bell

How-to Books

My favorites:  On Writing, a Memoir of the Craft, Stephen King; Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel, Hallie Ephron; Stein on Writing, Sol Stein; Writing the Breakout Novel (and the 2015 Workbook), Donald Maas

Self-publishing: 

Publishing for Beginners: What first-time authors need to know by Lourdes Venard 2014

Anthology contracts:

In late 2015, attorney and Shinobi series author Susan Spann wrote a series of posts for the Writers in the Storm blog. This link should get you to all of them:

http://writersinthestormblog.com/?s=anthology+contract&submit.x=0&submit.y=0

Be sure to stop back by Lyrical Pens on Jan 11 when our guest is composer/author Nupur Tustin who writes historical fiction mysteries with Franz Joseph Haydn (wow) as the protagonist.

Mystery Thriller Week is happening now on Facebook and at https://mysterythrillerweek.com/ 

On Jan 12, MTW author Jennifer S. Alderson is posting a cameo of me and my latest short story on her blog. http://jennifersalderson.com/  Look for recent posts on the right side of her home page. Jennifer said I’ll be under the“MysteryThrillerWeek Arts theme.” Stop by when you have a moment. I’d love to hear from you, on the post, on Lyrical Pens, on Facebook, or by email. Wherever.

cj Sez: You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same…and for 2017 and beyond, I wish you good health and many successes.

cjpetterson@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

Choosing Carter  -- Kindle  /  Nook  /  Kobo   /  iTunes/iBook

Deadly Star --  Kindle  / Nook  / Kobo

Amazon Central Author Page:  http://amzn.to/1NIDKC0

More Than Friends:  http://amzn.to/2dnqnLJ

The More than Friends bundle is available until Jan 30,…6 romance novels for 99 cents!

Deep Point of View

cj Sez: I like to write as much into deep point of view as I can. I’m not always successful, and it always takes a few edit cycles to get what I want.

(All the 'toons are from Facebook)

Deep point of view is intense. It encompasses the sights, sounds, and actions, filtered through a point of view character but goes deeper into her/his emotions, actions, and reactions. In deep point of view, the character owns the page.

Following are a couple of the tips I picked up a few years ago from a blog and adopted into my writing: (The examples are from my work in progress which, of course, will be honed even further.)

1. Make as many of your dialogue tags disappear as possible.

Dialogue tags do clarify a speaker, but they also remind readers that they are reading a story. In deep point of view, tags are often replaced by action, body language, voice description, emotion. How the words are said and the actions behind the words reveal a lot about a character’s emotional state of mind.

Distant point of view: “That’s not something I care to share,” she said.

The reader can’t understand what she means. Is she naturally a private person? Maybe she’s being a bit belligerent.

Deeper: “That’s not something I care to share,” she said, wadding her napkin into a ball.

Her action gives a clue that what she doesn’t want to share upsets her. The “she said” reminds readers that they’re reading a novel, and it’s also redundant. (If dialog is in the same paragraph as the character’s action, then the action character is also the speaker.) In this sentence, I would have to eliminate the action to make it correct. But I want to give the character some emotional action to develop the persona more fully. So, let’s go deeper still.

Deeper still: “That’s not something I care to share.” She wadded a napkin into as tight a ball as she could get it then started picking it apart with her fingernails, shredding the paper into a pile of confetti.

The character’s body language adds a deeper point of view. The character’s emotional state of mind is revealed…without telling.

2. Make your thought words/sense words disappear

Thought words/sense words are telling words. They put an author on the page and again remind readers they are reading a novel. They are contrary to the “real life experience” of deep point of view.

How often do you personally think, I’m thinking about tomorrow’s party?  Or I’m wondering if … whatever?

You don’t. And if you’re writing in deep point of view, your characters don’t either. Oh, they’ll think, wonder, and see, hear, and feel; but they won’t add the filter words. They’ll just do it.

Distant: She felt his hands around her throat and wondered if she was going to die.

     The reader doesn’t feel what the character feels. The author has told the reader what the character thinks/feels.

Deep:   She tore at the fingers squeezing her throat. This is it. I’m going to die.

     (No thinking. No wondering. Just showing what’s happening and pulling in the reader.)

Another tip: Our worldviews are shaped by our life experiences and expectations. These are also the things that make up characters’ backstories. Ergo: Know your characters so thoroughly that you know reflexively how they will react in every situation.

As you explore deep point of view, know that there are many reasons to break the rules. Explore and discover the tips and tricks, and then use what works for you and your story. Remember, you are in charge…you are the captain of your story.

Let me know what you think. Will you go exploring?

Be sure to stop by Wednesday and read what author Joan Leotta has to say about how to get paid to write for essay markets.

Okay, you-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

cjpetterson@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

Choosing Carter  -- Kindle  /  Nook  /  Kobo   /  iTunes/iBook

Deadly Star --  Kindle  / Nook  / Kobo