Ramblings: An (E)venture

Ramblings: An (E)venture: For the past four months I’ve been working on a collection of short stories. I should have my tenth (and final) story complet...

An (E)venture

For the past four months I’ve been working on a collection of short stories. I should have my tenth (and final) story completed this week.

After reading quite a few blogs and websites about the pros and cons of self-publishing, and receiving first-hand accounts from fellow authors, I’m going to take the leap into independent publishing.

There are a number of reasons for my decision. First, my publisher doesn’t deal with short-story collections. Secondly, lots of other publishers don’t do short-story collections, unless it’s with a recognizable (famous) author. Thirdly, I like challenges. And fourthly, it might be fun.

For those who write for small-publishing houses, and even some big ones, you know that much of the work in promotion and marketing comes from the author. So, in that regard, nothing will change for me. But I'll have more control over the pricing.

E-books, as we all know, have changed the face of publishing. It has grown every year, especially with the advent of the Kindle and Nook e-readers, and will continue to expand to the point of overcoming traditional print.

I've noticed in the past couple of years that my novels sell better as e-books. But I also plan to have my short stories available in a print-on-demand edition for those who love the feel and smell of a book.

I’ll blog about the self-publishing process once I do the requisite edits and rewrites to make the stories ready for publication. Some things don't change when it comes to getting a book ready for publication.

Until the next time...

Ramblings: The Write Stuff

Ramblings: The Write Stuff: I believe it's important for a writer to stay on top of his or her craft, much like doctors, lawyers, plumbers, chefs, and others do...

The Write Stuff

I believe it's important for a writer to stay on top of his or her craft, much like doctors, lawyers, plumbers, chefs, and others do in their professions.

I subscribe to several magazines that keep me informed about marketing, publishing houses, agents, authors, contests, promotion -- just about everything that authors need to know about the craft and business of writing.

The Writer and Writer's Digest provide an abundance of advice and information for novelists, poets, essayists, and others. These magazines offer practical, nuts-and-bolts articles that keep me, for the most part, on the straight and narrow of writing.

Another publication I enjoy is Poets & Writers, which generally has in-depth features on writers, agents, and trends. The magazine also lists grants and awards available for writers.

I also subscribe to Bookmarks, a magazine that is all about books. It's loaded with reviews of old and new books from various reputable sources, author interviews, ethnic literature, and book groups.

While I read a lot of articles and blogs about writing on the Internet, I still enjoy the feel of the printed product in my hands.

Until the next time...

Ramblings: In the Know

Ramblings: In the Know: I've often heard people say they'd like to write fiction but they don't feel like they're qualified to put down the words in a story....

In the Know

I've often heard people say they'd like to write fiction but they don't feel like they're qualified to put down the words in a story. For some reason they seem to believe they have to be an expert on a subject to be able to write about it.

First of all, let me say that it depends on what you're writing about. Perhaps it would be helpful to have a great deal of knowledge about a topic. Some authors that come to mind are Michael Crichton (medicine), John LeCarre (espionage), John Grisham (law) and Tess Gerritsen (medicine). Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the CNN medical correspondent, recently published a medical-based novel, "Monday Mornings."

You can make yourself an acknowledged expert through extensive research of a subject. No doubt Tom Clancy has a great deal of technical knowledge that shines in his techno-thrillers. Dan Brown immersed himself in religious doctrine for his best-selling novels. 

Writers often forget they have life experiences that make them experts in various categories. I spent more than 30 years working for newspapers, a news service and a magazine so my novels reflect my expertise and interest. When there is something I'm not sure about, I do the research before putting it in the story.

I have friends who are teachers, nurses, law enforcement officers, bankers, and so on who have a wealth of work experience and "insider" knowledge to write believable and entertaining novels.  

But I think the greatest qualification for writing fiction is to have a vivid imagination that translates into a story that resonates with readers.  Think Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates, Jodi Picoult, Anne Rice, Anne Tyler, Steig Larsson, J.K. Rowling, Richard Ford, Suzanne Collins, E.L. James...you know what I mean.

Until the next time...

Ramblings: Support Your Local Author

Ramblings: Support Your Local Author: There are several ways to show support for your favorite authors and you don’t even have to purchase their books. Probably the easiest way ...

Support Your Local Author

There are several ways to show support for your favorite authors and you don’t even have to purchase their books.

Probably the easiest way is to word-of-mouth. If you like (or dislike) the book, tell other folks. Continue the dialogue by asking others what they're reading or what they'd recommend.

Another way to show support is to visit websites such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads and Shelfari and leave reviews of the books you’ve read. They don’t have to be elaborate and long. Simply a few sentences on why you like,  or didn’t like a book, and give it a rating.

If you don’t like to write (because you prefer to leave that up to writers), you can just leave a rating for a book. Or if you see a review you like, such as  those on Amazon, click to show that it was helpful or wasn’t helpful to you.

You also can join discussion groups that are provided at book-related websites. While you're expressing an opinion about a book, or author, you can also read opinions from others that can help guide you to new books and authors.

And another way to show support for authors is by checking out their books in the library. Librarians keep tab on circulation, and those books that gather dust on the shelves often end up in library book sales. You also can request a librarian to order a book for the their collection. Librarians like recommendations because they realize quite a few good books fall through the cracks.

Of course, if you want to spend a few dollars to support your local author, you can buy their books.  But I think you already know that.

Until the next time...

Ramblings: Cast of Characters

Ramblings: Cast of Characters: When you're populating your novel with characters, do you go beyond the obvious? As for obvious, I mean color of eyes, hair and skin, heigh...

Cast of Characters

When you're populating your novel with characters, do you go beyond the obvious?

As for obvious, I mean color of eyes, hair and skin, height, weight, and so on. A lot of writers don't go beyond those traits in differentiating their characters.

But just look around when you're at work, shopping, dining, or simply in your neighborhood. Do you see people in wheelchairs? How about someone with a seeing-eye dog? Or perhaps someone who is deaf? 

According to a news release by the Census Bureau in 2005, about one in five Americans reported a level of disability. Persons with disabilities are the largest minority group in the United States.

Think about some of the characters with disabilities that you've seen in movies and television programs:

Tom Cruise portraying Ron Kovic, who had a spinal-cord injury, in "Born of the Fourth of  July."

Marlee Matlin, who is deaf, for her Academy Award-winning performance in "Children of  Lesser God."

Wheelchair-bound Robert T. Ironside, portrayed by Raymond Burr, in the law-enforcement drama "Ironside" in the 1960-70s.

And there's Max in the TV series "Parenthood" who has Asperger's Syndrome; Corky in "Life Goes On" with Down Syndrome; and Adrian Monk, who has obsessive-compulsive disorder, in the "Monk" mystery series.  There are quite a few others but I hope you get the idea.

So think about all the populations in our society when you are crafting your story.

A key point to remember is that a person with a disability is a person first. Don't stereotype them. And the writer's rule of "show, don't tell" should be followed.

Until the next time...

Ramblings: Slam Dunked

Ramblings: Slam Dunked: I must confess that I’ve been somewhat lax in my writing the past four weeks. Blame it on basketball and the NCAA men’s tournament in partic...

Slam Dunked

I must confess that I’ve been somewhat lax in my writing the past four weeks. Blame it on basketball and the NCAA men’s tournament in particular.

   I live in Kentucky and this year the commonwealth was represented by four teams – Kentucky, Louisville, Murray State and Western Kentucky. For those of you who don’t follow the sport, the Kentucky Wildcats won their eighth national title on Monday night, defeating the Kansas Jayhawks 67-59 in New Orleans.

   I told myself that I’d stay up until halftime and then head off to bed. I’m not a night owl anymore so staying up past 10 o’clock is a big deal for me. At the half, I decided to stay up until the Wildcats went up by 20 points. The lead grew to 18 points, and as I was about to turn out the lights and turn off the TV, the Jayhawks rallied like they had in their other tourney games. They trimmed the lead to five points before Kentucky recovered in the final 90 seconds to secure a hard-earned victory.

   With the tournament over I plan to get back earnestly to my short story collection. I’ve completed eight stories so far and intend to write two more in the next two weeks. Then I’ll go back and go over all of them with rewrites, edits, and everything else involved in polishing them for publication.

    One thing I learned is that the next time I begin a writing project I’ll try to avoid doing it during the NCAA tournament.

 

 Until the next time...