Blazing a Trail by Frankie Roberston

Welcome to another Friday at the 7 Scribes. Casey here. Today, Frankie Roberston is my returning as my guest and she’s sharing her self-publication journey with her latest book BLAZING A TRAIL.

Take it away, Frankie!

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Thanks for inviting me to guest post, Casey!

When I started thinking about self-publishing way back in 2010, I had a lot of questions.

Should I find an all-in-one author service, or hire separate vendors?

How much would all this cost?

Could I really make any money at this?

Would self-publishing destroy any hope of respect for my writing?

I didn’t know anything about it, but I knew a few people who were convinced that the long predicted transformation from paper to digital books was finally about to become a popular reality, so I started learning. The more I learned, the more I realized I didn’t know, but I finally reached a point where I had to leap in and start swimming. Within a year of publishing a novel with a small press, I had also self-published three novels and a novelette. It was exhilarating, but I was still learning and muddling through as best I could.

I didn’t intend to set myself up as some kind of expert when I began blogging about my self-publishing journey. I was just sharing my experience, and my experience was that I was finding several college courses’ worth of information out on the web, posted by people who had already blazed a trail before me. People who often didn’t agree with each other about the best way to deliver stories to the readers.

I figured there were probably some other people as overwhelmed as I was, so I began posting about how I made my choices between divergent paths. At the urging of various readers, those posts (much revised) became BLAZING A TRAIL: Your Self Publishing Journey. I also included a bunch of interviews with other Indie authors, because I love reading about how other Indies are getting the job done. My way is far from being the only way, and I wanted readers to know that, too.

One thing many of the authors I interviewed agreed on is that one of the primary pleasures of self-publishing is the greater control we have over our careers. We decide about our covers, our editing, our release dates, and our promotions. Self-publishing is a lot of work, and it’s not for everyone, but as several authors said, being an Indie author is a lot of fun, too.

Now that I’ve learned a lot about self-publishing, I’m struck by a powerful truth: there is still so much more to learn. I’ll never feel like I “know it all.” Even the people I’ve learned from have changed their minds about various aspects of the industry as the publishing environment has changed. None of us can afford to stop learning, because the possibilities and opportunities keep changing. New data is coming to light every week. That avalanche of conflicting information can be overwhelming to the beginner. What I tried to do with BLAZING A TRAIL is to offer my experience as a guide for making decisions about the self-publishing process, to draw a rough map and point readers toward the best practices today.

Thanks for letting me share this part of my journey with you! I hope you’ll join me over on FrankieRobertson.com, where I’ll keep writing about what I learn on my self-publishing journey.

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For anyone interested in a copy of BLAZING A TRAIL –  http://www.amazon.com/BLAZING-TRAIL-Publishing-Journey-ebook/dp/B00BVUWONO

Scribesters, if you have questions for Frankie, ask away. Don’t be shy!

Trust Your Story

Tuesday’s Scribe, PJ Sharon here. Have you ever been writing along, minding your plot and meeting your daily word count, only to have your character take you “off track”? Do you catch yourself swearing at your characters and asking them, “Where the *&%*@# are you taking me?” Well, let me tell you…I’ve learned to let them have their way—at least on the first draft. Let me explain why.

After several manuscripts and three or four published novels, I’m finally beginning to trust my internal process. It seems that my unconscious mind knows a lot more about my characters than my conscious mind does and if I let the story evolve organically—rather than trying to control every word that lands on the page—some miraculous things happen. Characters take me to the most interesting places, and if I go along for the ride, there is usually some grand reason they needed to go there. A piece of the puzzle is found, a character flaw is brought to light, or an opportunity for character growth presents itself.

When I wrote ON THIN ICE a few years ago, Penny’s story unfolded and jumped onto the page with such abandon, it seemed as if it was writing itself. I hadn’t planned on all the twists and turns that her story would take, but as it developed and each thread wove itself into her character arc, I had no choice but to follow and see how everything came together in the end. Amazingly, her journey turned out to be profoundly complex and beautiful. Of course, my problem was then trying to sell a story that had multiple subplots and more drama than a season of Dallas.

I had several published authors, a few agents, and even a couple of editors tell me the same thing…get rid of at least two—preferably three—of the subplots. I was told “One teenager could not possibly deal with all of these issues and one or two is enough for any one book if you want to explore them in depth.” So I tried to unravel my plot to remove some of the “unnecessary” subplots. The problem was that I couldn’t. I struggled for several months trying to make the story “marketable” by choosing one story line and then bleeding all over the page for 250 pages. I couldn’t make it work. Deconstructing the story seemed like an impossible task without it losing that special something that made it unique and authentic. Worse, was that it felt like I wasn’t being true to my character. Penny needed to go through all the trials and tribulations she endured in order to become the person she was at the end of the story. It was her journey—not mine—and I didn’t feel right about robbing her of any of the experiences that made her who she was.

Ultimately, I shelved the story and began writing Heaven Is For Heroes, which turned out to be a much more “marketable” story, but by that time, I had decided that the kind of stories I wanted to write were likely not going to fit into a specific mold and that I wasn’t willing to have a traditional publisher “brand” me (ouch!) and put me in a “box” (NO…Not the box!). Enter—Indie publishing.

One of the many things that drew me to Indie pubbing was the freedom to be true to the creative process and write what is in my heart. I’m convinced that there are readers for every well-written book—even if/especially if—it fits outside the box. Why should readers be fed only stories that publishers have deemed saleable? As it turns out, many Indie authors are finding great success because they are taking risks and writing something different. The upsurge in the “New Adult” market proves that readers of all ages want something new–stories that bridge the gap between YA and adult romance–stories about what happens when young adults are faced with real life issues that push them into adulthood.

Although I’ve learned to rein in my characters a bit before they take me too far off course or lead me into some corner I can’t get out of, I’ve also learned to trust my story to take me where my characters need to go to become who they are meant to be—even if it takes me places I never dreamt I’d go. I’ve gotten better at plotting and planning rather than flying by the seat of my pants, but the real joy in writing for me is when my characters take over and lead me on an adventure greater than my mind could have imagined.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart if you’ve already read the book. I greatly appreciate all honest reviews. If you haven’t yet left a review and would like to do so, you can click on the Amazon link below and write a brief line or two about what you liked/or didn’t like about the book. This helps other readers find books that might appeal to them and helps us authors reach new readers. 

So what did you think? Was it too much drama for one book, or did it somehow all work together to make a worthwhile and unique story?

If you haven’t read ON THIN ICE, you have one final opportunity to download it for FREE from Amazon this weekend. I won’t be renewing my KDP Select contract, so this is the last time it will be offered as a FREE download for the foreseeable future. It will be available Saturday through Monday, January 26-28^th in honor of National Skating month and the US Figure Skating Championships taking place this week.

Bookmark this page and stop back this weekend to download your FREE Kindle copy from Amazon

Although Penny’s dream of Olympic Gold is derailed by life’s cruel twists of fate, she learns what all fierce competitors learn…follow your heart, and never give up.

Indie Excellence

PJ Sharon here, talking about Indie Excellence today. With all the new indie-published authors flocking to the internet, the gazillion free self-pubbed books available for Nooks and Kindles, and the influx of Small Press publishers, how can we possibly separate the chaff from the wheat, or in this case, the good from the bad in published books?

Most readers, in an effort to narrow their search, will go to those trusted Top 100 lists on Amazon or BN. How do books make the list you ask? And which list are we actually talking about? Here’s a great article by David Gaughran about the difference between the Top100 lists and the Popularity lists. Most people don’t realize there’s a difference or what it means. The trick is getting on those lists and becoming visible to readers who routinely shop there. But making the list is one thing—staying there is another. Both require a tremendous amount of promotion, a dollop of good timing, and a heaping helping of luck. One big edge that traditional publishers have is the power of advertising. They know how, where, and when to advertise to get maximum exposure. Whereas us indies are figuring it out as we go along, and taking shots in the dark that either pay-off or they don’t.  

Ironically, there are nearly as many indie-pubbed books on the Top 100 list lately as traditionally published books, a fact that makes us indies very hopeful that the playing field is leveling out quickly. The truth is that readers don’t care HOW a book is published. They care about a good story. But finding great indie books can be challenging since there are no real controls in place to ensure that what is published is a quality product. And yes, there is a tremendous amount of poorly written, poorly edited, and shoddy work out there. My personal experience, however, has been that there are some amazing indie authors producing phenomenal books. Stop back next week to see my “Favorite Indie books” list.

My favorite part of reading indie books is that they are unique in plot, structure, voice, and character—all the reasons that they weren’t picked up by trad-publishers who are looking for “the same, but different”. Indie books often fall outside the traditional mold and therefore are overlooked by agents and editors who think they know “what the market wants”. Thankfully, the Top 100 lists filled with all those indie-pubbed books are proving them wrong. My feeling is that there is an audience for every well-written story.

If you want to find some great quality indie books, check out the following sites.

 Indie Bound

Good reads Indie Book List

American Booksellers Association

There are also more and more review sites that are now reviewing Indie books.

Kirkus Reviews (although it is pricey to get a review from them and paid reviews just seem wrong to me.)

Indie Book Collective

Indie Reader

Even RT Magazine is “Hot for Indies” according to this article on the WG2E. Still, there is something about being traditionally published that screams legitimacy. Not that being traditionally published guarantees quality. I’m sure we have all read poorly written and poorly edited books straight off the bookshelves of BN and the desks of Big Six publishers. But for most writers, the legitimacy of being traditionally published still means something. We want our friends, families, readers, and peers to know that we DESERVE to be published—that our work was recognized as standing out among the hundreds of thousands of writers who submitted their manuscripts into the fray. And that our writing has been judged worthy.

So who decides what truly makes the cut in the Indie world? Enter the IndiePENdents,  a group of authors who started a review site set up to judge and legitimize good quality indie books. Each book submitted to the site goes through a panel of three volunteer reviewers and a validation team prior to being awarded the IndiePENdents Seal of Approval. I’m proud to say that my first book, Heaven Is For Heroes was one of those books selected for the honor. I received a certificate and this lovely seal to place on the covers of my print books to show that this book has met the industry standard of excellence in writing. The book also made the Awesome Indies review site’s top picks.

I’m so thankful to the wonderful volunteers who read and review indie books, making it possible for readers to find the best of the best in Indie Publishing. You guys rock! be sure to stop by Rhonda Hopkins’ blog later this morning. I’m a guest on her Authors Give Back charity blog and I’ll be sharing one of my favorites and why I love it. The post goes live at 9 am EST.

Please tell me dear readers, have you read any good Indie published books lately? What did you love about them? How did you come to find them? And was the quality up to your standard for a good book?

Revision Plans

It’s “one more chapter Tuesday,” Scribettes. At least it is for me. PJ Sharon here, and as I approach my final chapter of my first draft of WANING MOON, I’m already pondering revisions. There won’t be any “letting it rest” for me. Not because I don’t believe in the practice of putting some distance between writer and story before digging into revisions, but because my production schedule doesn’t allow for it this time. I’m already behind schedule, so it’s onward ho!

 I know, based on early feedback from critique partners and my red pen queen, Carol, that I have problems with too much telling, repetitive sentence structure, and a few plot holes that look more like giant pot holes. I’m thinking that my first read thru needs to be a straight-on plot check to make sure all the dots connect, especially since this is the first book of a trilogy. I need to make sure that whatever subplots I leave open will be addressed in the next book. Although I’m not a big “plotter” per se, I’ll definitely be keeping notes this time around to ensure continuity in the next two books. We don’t want Will’s eyes turning from blue to green in book two. There will be story threads that will remain open ended in books one and two that need to wrap up by the final book. At the same time, there are plot points that need to get resolved in this book so that there is some kind of satisfying ending. Tricky thing this trilogy business.

My second trip through, after I rewrite or slash and burn any scenes that don’t move the story forward, I’ll be looking for ways to deepen characterization, layer in subtext, and refine word choice. That’s about the time I’ll be looking for feedback from critique partners about what else might not be working, whether the actions of the characters ring true and are properly motivated, and if the pacing gets bogged down anywhere. I’ll keep tweaking for a few more read-thrus until I feel I’ve done as much as I can on my own, and then it’s off to one of my friendly editors for deep edits—the stuff that makes an author’s hair curl when they see how much they have to fix . I currently have three editors on my short list, but whoever is available and can meet my deadlines will get it first. If I have time, I may go through three rounds of editing before I feel satisfied that the book is ready to go to first print with Createspace.

First prints will go out to Beta readers and also to a proof reader to catch any typos or spelling errors. Once I get all of this feedback, I’ll dive into my semi-final edits. Then it’s off to the copy-editor for one more look and back to me for final edits and a second printing. These prints are considered ARCs and may go out to reviewers or contest winners. I’m only allowed a few of these at a time through Createspace, but I’ll make good use of them, even if there are a few errors. Hopefully, by the time I’m ready for the third printing when I upload to Amazon, BN, and Smashwords, I’ll have a nice clean finished product.

Whew! I’m tired thinking about it. Of course this is an ideal plan, but we all know how plans have a way of changing. The kicker is that I have about 8-10 weeks to make it all happen and I’ve learned that when depending on others to meet my deadlines, all bets are off. It’s just part of the business. Add to the mix, book cover designs and marketing and I’ve definitely got my work cut out for me. But first things first…or last, as in finish up that last chapter. So that’s what I’m doing today.

What are you all up to? Any revision strategies you’d like to share before I dive in? I’d love to hear your suggestions.

Welcome our Guest, Author Allison Merritt

Today’s guest is Indie-Author Allison Merritt. Her debut novel, TREASURE HUNTER’S LADY, is available on Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords.

Romy Farrington seems to have the perfect life—a world-famous archeologist father and upcoming marriage to a wealthy businessman. But to Romy, her new life in the city is a punishment.

For years, she traveled the world at her father’s side, exploring new lands and uncovering ancient secrets. It was everything she ever wanted, until a near-fatal encounter with hostile natives forced her and her father into a life of retirement in Boston and an undesired advance into proper society.

Everything changes again when she’s saved from an accident by a brash Texan in a back alley. Abel Courte may act like a care-free cowboy, but he’s harboring a secret—he’s searching for the Diamond of Uktena, a legendary jewel that can cure any disease known to man. He needs information Romy’s father has in order to get to the jewel. When he traces the origin of the Diamond to Dakota Territory, he sets off to claim the treasure, only to find the archeologist’s fiery redheaded daughter stuck to him like a bug in sap.

 In a race against time, Romy and Abel must learn to trust each other as they undertake a cross-country journey that will expose them to lands uncharted by white men, a deadly battle against the fearsome creature in possession of the Diamond and a fight to return to civilization where they might make the greatest discovery of all—love. 

Sounds great! Allison was kind enough to answer some questions for us.

 •      What story haven’t you told yet that you want to tell? What is holding you back?

I grew up and still live in the Ozark Mountains. When I was a teenager, I worked at a theme park that illustrated the history of the area. I was a ride operator at an indoor roller coaster called Fire In The Hole that centered around a town destroyed by Baldknobbers–a vigilante group after the Civil War that gained too much power and abused it. The ride attendants were “volunteer firefighters” and the riders had to help put out the fire. It was so goofy, but a lot of fun. The sad thing is that the Baldknobbers were a guerilla organization that terrorized the Ozarks. I’d love to write a historical romance centered around that. I actually started a chapter a couple of years ago, but haven’t found the motivation to write a novel about it.

•      What is the most surprising thing that has happened in your writing career?

The decision to self-publish. I’ve pretty much shouldered the entire process, from writing to making my own covers. Thank God for critique partners willing to beta read. They’re true miracle workers. From the time I was a teenager, I wondered how I’d ever make it in the publishing world, but the way the Internet has welcomed indie authors, I feel like I’m home.

•      They say that every author has a partially completed, quite-possibly-terrible half a story shoved in a drawer somewhere. What is yours? What is it about? What makes it terrible? Would you ever consider picking it up and finishing it?

Yep, I definitely have one of those. Mine is called The Convict & the Cattleman. It’s set in 1840 in New South Wales, Australia. It’s about a woman sentenced to transportation for stealing and a cattle grazer who needs a nurse for his orphaned niece. The thing that made it so terrible is that the heroine is whiny, the hero is way too cranky and there’s an antagonist that is so cheesy, you just end up rolling your eyes at her. I worked on that novel for over a year and eventually felt that it was sucking out my soul. I’d love to rewrite it, but I don’t know if I’ll ever find the time.

•      Do you have a word related pet peeve?

When I use Open Office, it refuses to accept armoire as a word. That is a legitimate piece of furniture and it drives me crazy. Also, negotiate. I argued with spell check for ten minutes one day trying to spell negotiate. I was spelling it wrong, of course, because I wanted it to say “negociate.” “Ti” does not spell “she.” I’m a victim of writing the way I talk.

•      What is your junk food of choice?

I make this great sour cream dill dip to go with tortilla chips. I can’t give you an exact recipe because I never measure the ingredients, but it goes something like this: a 16oz tub of sour cream, onion powder to taste (the longer you leave it in the fridge, the more the onion flavor comes out), table salt, a whole bunch of dill (I use dried) and a splash of red wine vinegar or Worcestershire sauce. It is delicious! I can eat almost the whole tub at one sitting.

•      What’s the most dangerous or risky thing that you’ve done?

I’m afraid of heights. Well, not heights so much as splattering on the ground (kind of like the hero in my novel, Abel). In 2010, after I lost my data entry job, I took a job interview at one of those zip-line places. I thought maybe I could work the cash register in the gift shop. They actually had the interviewees do the zip-line. I closed my eyes, stepped off the platform and swore a blue streak across the 100-foot cable to the next platform, but actually kind of enjoyed it. It wasn’t until we were ready to get back on the ground that I almost lost it. For some reason I assumed there would be stairs to get down. Nope. They want you to step into thin air and drop 100 feet to the ground. Why I was okay going across, I don’t know, but I balked big time at dropping. I forgot to keep my legs straight and ended up landing on my knees when I finally stepped off. Needless to say, I didn’t get that job.

•      What is your guilty pleasure? {Remember: this is a ‘G’ rated blog!}

There’s a restaurant in my hometown called The Springfield Pasta Company. It was formerly The Pasta House Company, but who’s counting how many times it changed names, right? They have cheesecake that is to die for. It comes in huge slices with a layer of sour cream and a layer of cream cheese with strawberry topping. It’s the perfect reward after meeting a word count goal or finishing a novel.

 Thanks for being our guest!

You can follow Allison Merritt at:

Blog – http://havenovelwilledit.blogspot.com

Facebook – http://facebook.com/allisonmwrites

Twitter – http://twitter.com/allison_merritt

 

I’m Thankful For Something New!

Hi there!  J here with a late breaking post.  I’ve got something new to be thankful for!  For the first time since April 2008 (when my babies arrived home) I got to sleep later than 6:00am!  This very morning, my little darlings let me sleep until nearly 9:00!   If you don’t have young kids, you have no idea what kind of blessing this is.

So, um…for anyone who noticed that this post was late getting up there – that’s why!    Sorry, I can’t help but smile, even though I’ve shirked my Scribely duty…I got to sleep in for the first time in nearly 4 years!!  Wahooooo!

Okay, a couple of other follow-up items. 

1 – Vivienne wanted me to apologize for criminally under-sugaring the cranberries in her Fluffy Ruffle recipe.  I made them and had to add another 1/2 cup of sugar or more.  I didn’t measure it.  Don’t worry, I totally berated her about it.

2 – I’m heading out to a quiet spot to work on inputting the edits to The Peacock Tale.  It’ll be out there for the world to buy on Tuesday…somehow…through the wonders of Indie Publishing.  The good news is that my editor found LOTS of unnecessary “that’s” for me to remove, so it’s a nice tight story.

3 – I knew there was a third piece of business I needed to announce: the winners of my contest last week!  Kathryn Anne Merkel gets print copies of both The Cordovan Vault and The Peacock Tale.  Yeah!  Enjoy!

Today’s Secret: There’s always something new to be thankful for, whether it be children who sleep later than normal or nearly immediate publishing opportunities!

Today’s Question: What are you thankful for today?

Frankie Robertson: Veiled Mirror

Veiled Mirror

Happy Friday everyone! Casey Wyatt here. I’m so excited! Today we have a special guest blogger: Frankie Robertson sharing her self publishing journey. Take it away Frankie!

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Thanks, Casey, for inviting me to blog here today!

I’ve been writing about my self-publishing journey on my own blog, http://FrankieRobertson.wordpress.com. One thing I haven’t talked much about is how my traditional publishing experience has compared to self-publishing.

When I started writing the path was pretty clear: publish some short stories, write a novel, get an agent, agent sells book, money rolls in, repeat. I’m not sure it was ever that simple, but that was the prevailing paradigm back then. Boy, have times changed! When I write that now, I feel like I should open with, “Once upon a time. . .” but it wasn’t a complete fairy-tale, I know people this  worked for. People who told me,“ I’m
glad I’m not trying to break in right now.”

Nevertheless I persisted. Then, on the same day my husband found out that he’d made his first short story sale, I found out that I’d made mine! I was pumped! Hallelujah! The tide had turned! The future was rosy!

Several weeks later I learned the magazine’s editors had gotten into a power struggle. The editor who liked my story lost, and my story was dropped. No contract, no sale.

Eventually I did make that first sale. It was a contest win that included payment and publication in an anthology of speculative romance (SUM 3) but I refused to let myself get quite as excited about it. Not until it was printed and in my hands. I’d learned
that the publishing business could be uncertain – everything about production
was outside the author’s control.

A year ago I sold Veiled Mirror to The Wild Rose Press. It was the third novel I’d completed but my first novel length sale. I love the cover Rae Monet created, and the communication with my editor Laura Kelly is wonderful. She had a light touch while still
strengthening my book.

I decided to self-publish my second book. I probably could have sold Lightbringer to TWRP. Why didn’t I?

Lightbringer

It came down to a perfect storm of reasons:
•    I’d read a lot about the potential of self-publishing.
•    I had more than one friend who had done it. (It no longer seemed like a heresy.)
•    I wanted the higher royalty per unit sold.
•    The requirement to self-promote is no greater than with small press and trad-pub.
•    I could bring it out in less than four months instead of a year.
•    I wanted to practice before I self-pubbed  my two fantasy-romance novels.
•    But perhaps the most compelling reason was:  I wanted more control over my career.

I’m really glad I had the opportunity to learn from being published with The Wild Rose Press and I would consider publishing with them again. It gave me confidence and it taught me about the process. The biggest difference between my traditional and self-publishing experiences is that with TWRP, I had one person to ask when I was confused about something. In self-publishing, there are hundreds, but I had to decide who to listen to. And in the end it’s all up to me. Even though I chose to hire out the
cover, the editing, and the formatting, the ultimate end product will be a
result of all the decisions I made over the last four months.

And I love it! I have never been more excited about writing and publishing than I am now. Self-publishing may not be the right choice for everyone, but it was for
me.

Thanks for letting me share my story with you. Please join me over on
my blog where you can  read excerpts from Veiled Mirror and Lightbringer. Veiled Mirror was just released (Yay!) and is available at http://www.thewildrosepress.com and http://amazon.com.). Lightbringer will be available in late November.

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Thank you so much Frankie. Best of luck with both novels.

Please share your thoughts on traditional vs. indie publishing. Which path are you taking? One or both? Debate and discuss!

Breakin’ Da Rules

Happy Friday, Casey Wyatt here!

Stop me if you’ve heard these before…

• Write every day (variation, butt in chair, hands on keyboard).
• Adverbs are evil and should be nuked on sight.
• Show, don’t tell.
• Indie published writers have given up because they couldn’t sell their work to a “real” publisher.
  

  Get your butt in that chair and write!

And there are plenty more. If you’re a writer who’s serious about the craft, then of course you’ve heard all these maxims.

By definition a maxim is “a rule of conduct or a statement of general truth” (Webster’s New World Dictionary). The implication – this is the only correct way to do it. These laws are universal truth and must never be broken or challenged. Ever.

Well, I’m here to tell you a little secret. Lean in closer so I can whisper it in your ear. The rules can be broken – judiciously. See, there’s an adverb and I didn’t burst into flames as I typed it.

There are good, solid reasons for these rules. Three out of the four are true – to a point. And one of these maxims is flat out wrong. I’m sure you know which one I mean. Let’s address them, shall we?

1. Write every day. We tell ourselves this so we don’t get lazy. And because if you don’t write, you won’t have a manuscript to sell. In real life, this is an admirable goal and we should strive toward it. I know I do. This is also a mental trap that goes something like this – I didn’t write today, so I failed as a writer. Um…no. We all have times in our life where other priorities come into play. To beat yourself up is counterproductive. And to write engaging stories, you need to leave your house and live life once in a while. Plus, it’s okay to give the gray matter an occasional break. If you must accomplish something every day, then draft ideas for your next story or learn more about writing.

2. Adverbs are evil. Yes. Do not use empty adverbs. What’s an empty adverb? Words like actually, totally, finally, hopefully and all their ilk. Avoid tacking on needless adverbs to the end of every dialouge tag or using them to prop up weak verbs. When you complete your draft, scan it using word search and nix the vast majority of them. Adverbs, when paired correctly with the right verb are okay. So, if you’re going to use an adverb make it count.

3. Show, don’t tell. Again, true most of the time. Telling results in lifeless, flat scenes that no one wants to read. On the other hand, each action should not read like a how-to manual. For the sake of pacing, telling can be more appropriate. It’s okay to tell us your character answered the phone. Or walked to the car. You do not need to list the precise body movements involved in these actions, unless there is some plot related reason to do so. Think like a reader and consider all the “boring stuff” you pass over to get to the “good parts”.

4. Indie published writers, blah, blah. I can’t even finish repeating this one. This maxim is complete balderdash. It ranks up there with the Flat Earth Theory. Publishing is evolving and the old rules don’t apply anymore. All writers, published and unpublished, should consider both options. We have more choices available to us than ever before. We can reach readers in new and exciting ways. Do not believe or listen to this one.

Here is one maxim that is true – if you build it, they will come. Write the best story you can, professionally present it, and your readers will appreciate it.

What other rules have you heard and how do you like to challenge them?

Book Cover Update, Big City News, and a Short Story

To those of you who
have been sitting on the edge of your seats with me over the cover art debacle,
please sit back and breathe a sigh with me. I received an e-mail that the cover
photo for HEAVEN IS FOR HEROES that we loved so much, has now been made
available for Extended Licensing. The company refunded a portion of the credits
I spent purchasing the back cover photo—which I purchased three times before
finally getting the correct resolution. Ahhh, live and learn.

Needless to say, I’m relieved and
thrilled, and will move forward with my book marketing plans. Although I’m a few
weeks behind schedule, I have in place all of the suggestions my fellow
scribe, J Monkeys set forth in her last week’s blog, indie-publishing part two.
Thank you very much, J Monkeys. I’ll be sure to listen to all of her good
advice.

Which leads me to the
second part of my post. At the National RWA conference,  I learned several new things to add to J’s list. I took a workshop on how to do a blog tour, how to get book reviews, and
how to approach social media and not lose my mind. I learned about revision,
how to mend a broken scene, and what it’s like to write a best-selling YA
romance. It will likely take me weeks to organize and enact some of this new
information and figure out what works for me, but I can’t help but be excited
about the upcoming process. I was encouraged that I am far from alone in my
pursuits.

If I had to boil down
the best advice I received at the conference, it has to come down to the
following words: Author Sophie Gunn said, “Be ambitious, prolific, and
persistent.” Similarly, Diana Gabaldon shared her
three rules to being a successful writer. She said, “First–read everything you
can. Second–write what you love. And third–never stop.”

Before answering the following question or leaving a comment, skip on over to my short story page and read a 2600 word short, based on my novel ON THIN ICE, coming in December of 2011. TUESDAY’S CHILD IS FULL OF GRACE is a precursor to Penny’s story, and will give you a glimpse of her trials in dealing with the world of figure skating and the heartbreaking reality of her mother’s cancer.

Now tell me, What
is the best writing advice you’ve ever gotten?