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Random Thoughts about Self-Publishing…

11 May

WatermanFairy1919

Since I have self-published two novels, I’d thought I’d give you some of my thoughts on self-publishing. The thing to remember is… these are my opinions. Other authors might have completely different opinions.

The publishing part of self-publishing is easy.  I have published at Amazon.com, Smashwords.com, and CreateSpace.com, and all those places are user-friendly. In my opinion, it’s easier to self-publish than find a publisher.

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Is it better to self-publish or find a publisher? Who knows? Truthfully, I think the jury is still out on that subject, and since I’ve never had a publisher, I’m not in a position to really comment. However, truthfully,  in recent years I  have never wanted to spend time querying publishers and waiting for their response. I’d much rather spend my time writing books than query letters.

Querying is hard work, and I wouldn’t suggest you do it unless you have thick skin. I don’t want to mislead you, I have tried querying publishers in years past, but it is a drain on your soul to wait for rejection. Of course, YOU might not get rejected, so I’m not telling you that you shouldn’t try to find a publisher. I’m just saying I’d rather not spend my time querying publishers. I have better things to do with my time.

Writing books is also easy for me. I have never had any serious bouts with writer’s block and usually I’d rather spend my time writing that doing other things. Yes, I know my life sounds boring, but really it’s not… I have a teenager at home and I work full-time and I’m married, so there are plenty of distractions. I just enjoy writing.

writer block in letterpress type

The part of self-publishing that is not easy for me is marketing. I would rather work on a chapter than write an ad. I would rather write than sit in a bookstore and sign books. I would rather write than try to figure out how to sell on the internet. I’d rather work on my novel than write a press release. It’s a good thing I don’t have to make a living from the proceeds of my books.

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So these are my thoughts about self-publishing.  Other writers might say they love the marketing, but it’s hard for them to finish a book. Other writers might insist that you have to have a publisher. I think that one thing all writers should ask themselves is why they are writing. And once a writer knows the answer to that question, they can decide if self-publishing is or is not right for them.

Why do I write? I write because I really don’t know what I’d do with all my time if I didn’t write.  Sure, I’d love to write a bestseller, all writers wish for that. But if someone from the future traveled back in time to tell me I’d never be a famous writer, I’d still write. Writing completes me. It is who I am.

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Review: THERE WAS AN OLD WOMAN by Hallie Ephron

5 May

There Was an Old Woman by Hallie Ephron is a suspenseful story that might make you think of suspense in a different way. All of a sudden, a ninety year old woman who has always been self-sufficient can’t seem to take care of herself. Why?  That is where the suspense comes from, and I’m not saying anything else because I refuse to give away the story.

There Was an Old Woman

I loved this book. Not only was the story an original, but I learned something about American history while I read it. And I applaud any author who can give me a history lesson!  Did you know that in 1945 a plane crashed into the Empire State Building? True story. It really happened, and if you want to learn more about that crash go here.  Maybe I’m the only one in the world who had never heard about this crash, but it really happened, and it wasn’t because a terrorist flew into the building. The accident happened when a fog disoriented pilot flew his B25 into the Empire State Building. Fourteen people died in the accident.

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This is a good read, and I recommend it without hesitation. I give the book five stars out of five stars.

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Novel to Screenplay? OR Screenplay to Novel?

4 May

After I wrote WINDFALL (screenplay), I wrote the novel with the same title. Then I wrote FINDING VERITY (the novel) and I’m currently working on its screenplay. I like the idea of “companion projects” and plan on continuing to write this way. So I’ve been pondering… Do I write the novel first and follow-up with the screenplay? Or is it better to write the screenplay first and then the novel?

Exit from darknes - Light at end of tunnel

If you write the screenplay first, you’ll have an outline to follow when you write the novel. But that outline will only include your story’s “action” (because what you see on the screen is what is in the screenplay). If you don’t add any scenes or characters to the novel, if you don’t worry about character thoughts or things that can’t be shown in the movie (like smells), your novel is liable to be lacking in depth and length. You will need to go back and expand the project to provide the reader a satisfying read.

the time machine

If you write the novel first, you are likely to have too much story for a screenplay. Novels have no limitations as to length. A novel can be short, or it can be long. Examples of short novels, or novellas (20,000 to 50,000 words) as they are sometimes called, include The Time Machine by H. G. Wells (32,149 words) , Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King (approximately 38,000 words), and Animal Farm by George Orwell (word count: 30,200). Examples of longer novels include Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (645,000 words), War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (depending on the version, 561,093 to 587,287 words), and The Stand by Stephen King (464,000 words).

the stand

The world in a novel can be outlandish or outrageous, but in a screenplay the writer must consider the costs involved in creating the world. Directors are looking for movies that don’t require expensive sets. There are also time constraints in a screenplay, one page equaling about one minute of time on the screen. Ideally, a screenplay will be 90-110 pages, usually no longer than 120 pages. So when you convert your novel to a screenplay, you might need to eliminate characters or change the setting of the story.

atlas shrugged

In my novel FINDING VERITY Puck (a man in his twenties) tells his story to Emma while their friendship develops. Emma is an eighty-something year old woman.  The novel is Puck’s and Emma’s story. But in the screenplay I’m going to have to choose one… is it Emma’s story or is it Puck’s?

After writing the screenplay WINDFALL (currently live at Amazon Studios) I  wrote the accompanying novel (also titled Windfall). I have pulled that novel from print, and I’m rewriting it under the new title ANGEL’S KISS, DEVIL’S MARK.  I did this because, when I reread it a year after I’d published it, I felt the novel needed more meat on its bones. It was too much like the screenplay.

windfall

Anyone, which is the best way to approach a companion project (screenplay and novel based on the same story). I’ve decided that I prefer to write the novel first, and follow it with the screenplay. That’s the way that works for me.

Which do you prefer?

 shawshank redemption

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Does AGE Matter When You’re a Writer?

28 Apr

When you’re a writer, should age matter? The answer is yes.  The answer is no. Maybe. Bottom line, after giving the age question much thought… There is no simple answer to this question.

The young writer, still wet behind his or her ears, has not accumulated sufficient experiences to write about many aspects of life. But at the same time, a young writer sees everything through fresh eyes and is not tainted by experiences or the thousands of opinions an older writer may have already heard.

Difficult homework

If you can write and have an imagination, you can write a novel or a screenplay. If you can write and are  devoted to thorough research, you can write nonfiction. Whether you’re young or old, you need persistence, but age should not matter. Persistance is the key.

I suspect publishing firms prefer younger writers because, if they snag the next Stephen King when he or she is twenty, they might be sitting on a gold mine for decades to come. In an ideal world there is no age discrimination, but we do not live in an ideal world. However, the playing field has been leveled with our ability to self-publish on the internet.

Everyone has unique experiences. Senior citizens might have more experiences, and perhaps this gives them more to choose from, but young writers have experiences, too.

I am over sixty. My experiences and life-lessons are varied, but I have no idea what it feels like to grow up with cell phones and tablets and the internet. I do not take these inventions for granted. I marvel at them everyday,and I live with them and use them as much as I can, but I can’t imagine what it’s like to be born into a world where these things are taken for granted. I know the transition from a time when these things weren’t around, and I suppose my writing reflects this. I often ask myself, when cell phones and tablets and the internet become old-fashioned, what will take their place? Whatever it is will impact writers. It will impact the novels and screenplays and nonfiction that is written.

Laptop and Dog

My 1950s childhood was different from many children of that decade because my parents were divorced. We didn’t talk about the divorce back then because divorce wasn’t common. In fact, in the 1950′s, divorce was kind of hush-hush. Today it is unusual for  children to live with parents who have been married a long time. Today some children have two moms, or two dads, or parents of different races. None of this was common when I was a child in the 1950s.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that a writer’s age does not matter. Our experiences will shape our work, our fears and accomplishments will shape our work, and we can all be published.

And that my friends is a good thing. Because some of us never grow old!

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Review: THE KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES by Jussi Adler-Olsen

22 Apr

I couldn’t click my kindle’s page forward button fast enough while I read The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen (translated by Lisa Hartman).  The plot is truly an original and the characters are unique.

The main character Carl Morack is promoted to head the newly formed Department Q. Department Q’s responsibility is to solve cold cases. The department is located in a basement and the staff consists of Carl and one other man whose credentials are never made clear.

Keeper of Lost Causes

The first case he investigates is about a popular politician who disappeared when she was on a boat. When Carl takes on the five-year old case, everyone has given up on it, assuming the politician is dead, but no one knows for sure. Was she kidnapped? Did she fall overboard and drown? No one knows because her body never surfaced and there was never a letter that demanded ransom.

I don’t want to spoil the story for potential readers, so I won’t say any more about the plot. What I will say, however, is the story takes revenge to a very high level. The writing is clear and concise which allows for a quick read, and in my opinion the plot will not disappoint. I expect we’ll see more books in the future that feature Carl Morack and his Department Q.

The author Jussi Adler-Olsen is very popular in Northern Europe with many prestigious awards under his belt. The Keeper of Lost Causes is his first published book in the United States.

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Rewriting – Post #6 – Screenplay to Novel

20 Apr

bibliophile

If you read my blog on a regular basis, then you know I’m currently rewriting my novel WINDFALL, and that the new novel will be titled ANGEL’S KISS, DEVIL’S MARK.

Windfall Book Cover

As I mentioned in an earlier post, one of the major problems with WINDFALL was the fact that I’d written it from too many character viewpoints. Many readers complained that until the middle of the book they had problems keeping track of everyone. So ANGEL’S KISS, DEVIL’S MARK is being written from just one character’s point of view.

cat's tongue

About a week ago, I almost gave up because I was afraid I’d never get enough word count to make it a novel. But then I realized what I’d been doing wrong.

The problem was, I’d based WINDFALL on the screenplay I’d written with the same name. The novel followed the screenplay, and I was only showing what the characters were DOING. In the end everyone’s actions came together to create this tangled web of a story. It worked in the screenplay, but it didn’t work with the novel.

windfall

When writing a novel from just ONE viewpoint, I realized that I had to write about more, much more. Sure, I needed to show the actions, those things that would be on the silver screen in the movie version, but I also needed to include what the character thinks and dreams, his speculations and fears, what he smells, his premonitions, all things that are difficult to show in a movie.

A novel is about much more than a character’s actions (or what one would see on the screen).

If you write both novels and screenplays, this is one thing the writer needs to understand. A screenplay is about what is SEEN on the screen. A novel can be much more.

Scottish Fold cats are considering a book

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