Author’s Top 5 Writing and Marketing Tips
writing
Kiersten Marcil
Historical Romance Time Travel Romance
1 year

1. Have regular office hours dedicated to your literary career. Use those hours to write, research, market, grow your website, or even read other books in your genre. Just do something related to your writing during that time, preferably daily, even when you don't want to.
2. Ignore word count goals (unless they really do help motivate you). So many authors get so down on themselves because they didn't meet their word count goals. Hence why I think office hours are better because it focuses on progress not checking off tally marks that are not always achievable. So, even if you only have ten minutes during lunch, those are your hours, and all other snuck-in hours are bonus.
3. Give yourself permission to write garbage. Just write, write something, write some more. Don't be afraid of what is on the page. That's what revisions are for. First drafts are just about throwing up brain stuff and splattering it onto the page.
4. Keep a separate document (mine is called "potpourri") where you keep all the stuff you cut. Make sure to include chapter dividers in the body so you know where cut material came from. You never know when you will be able to reuse that material or might want to reinsert parts of it. Plus, "deleted scenes" make great content for newsletters.
5. Tried & true, so I repeat what has often been said: every scene must advance the story or the characters' story arc. If it doesn't do one of those things, be ruthless. You may love it, but it's like that bad ex- who strings you along, making you think it's good for you, when really that scene is just going to hurt you in the end. Cut and run. :)

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writing
3 years

Your 'story' is unique to you-if you use your own 'voice'. Do not ask relatives and friends to read your draft but use professional Editors. You need to think -long and hard about advice from your professional editor. Believe me- it can be painful sometimes but you know they are experts in their field. Do not be argumentative- learn from your mistakes.

    • R.B.K. R.B.K. 2 years ago
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    • What makes you say editors are experts? This can be a debate that can last an eternity. We need to be honest to ourselves as Authors and admit that editors are miles away from being experts. They are just people not experts.
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      • Rosemary Anne Mills BA(Hons). {Lady Dragon} Rosemary Anne Mills BA(Hons). {Lady Dragon} 2 years ago
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      • Hi, RBK. Obviously there are a lot of people out there, who claim to be a professional Editor but make inexcusable mistakes. I for one, found typos after publication, which annoyed me. You made a good and valid point! Should we consider the fact that most Editors are now Freelancers' who are under-paid by Publishing Houses and their volume- of work, leads to mistakes. I have learnt to re-check my work-after it has been 'Proof-read'- before signing it off for publication. As the saying goes, 'Life, is a learning curve.'
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writing
Ellen Notbohm
Historical Fiction Literary Fiction
4 years

Let go of self-defeating language.
1. It's not "writer's block." It's the restorative pause, the time needed to refill the creative well, the release from arbitrary production "shoulds," the sensory replenisher. Trust the process.
2. It's not "rejection." It's the blessing of having avoided placing your work with the wrong entity.
3. You're not an "aspiring" writer. If you write, you're a writer. Period. Own it! (People who run every day but never race are still called runners.)
4. You don't have to have a "current project." You can just write. Anything. Trust the process.
5. There's nothing magic about 1,000 words a day or any other arbitrary number. Two perfect sentences can be a whole day's work (and worth every minute!) while 2,000 words can be boring shredder fodder. Just write. Trust the process.

(Did I mention, trust the process?)

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writing
Bruce Knapp
Thriller Suspense
4 years

Always WRITE but when in doubt...
READ!

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writing
Belle Ami Author
Thriller Suspense
5 years

HOW THICK DOES AN AUTHOR'S SKIN NEED TO BE?

Every now and then, you wake up to what you think will be a good day. For an author, that would probably be a steamy mug of coffee, a quiet space to work in, and a full day in which to lose yourself in your characters and story. There you sit, with your fingers poised over the keyboard of your computer, ready to work on your latest and greatest work in progress. A smile graces your lips and you think, today I know exactly where I am going with this chapter. You've spent the night wrestling with twists, turns, and character revelations, and settled upon your course of action. And then (drum roll), and then you decide to peek at your reviews on Goodreads. What a bad idea that can be! You look, you squint, your heart skips a couple of beats, and you feel your stomach sink. There it is, impossible to deny, that dreaded one or two-star review. You feel sick, not only from the standpoint of your ego but because you allow the review to get under your skin. That one or two-star review can literally rip your guts out and reduce you into a babbling idiot. You vanish, poof, and all that remains of the confident author are your insecurities and self-doubts. Forget brilliant prose and those dreams of readers clamoring to read your efforts. Even if you simultaneously receive a five-star review, it is the one or two stars that cast a pall squelching your creativity. You're back in grade school or high school, and that class bully or bitchy girl has singled you out to bear the brunt of their own frustrations and inadequacies.

You ask yourself the question that begs for an answer, why is it that the person who hates your efforts is the one that feels the necessity to expound the most? Even, when they might not have finished your book. They take pen or computer, and rant and rave, until it's a wonder that they just don't explode from their hypertensive efforts. It's almost as if every inequity known to man has somehow been conveyed in the pages of your book. Please, just take a breath, it's a novel; not everything conforms to your sensibilities. There isn't always a happy ending, not for you, not for me, and certainly not in a book.

It's times like these that an author would do well to grow a thick skin, perhaps something like that of a rhinoceros, or better yet a porcupine. Something that protects from the barbs, and sharpened teeth of a mad, frothing at the mouth, rabid reader. It's funny the difference in people. I would never take the time to write a long, laborious scathing review. It would never occur to me. If a book is that bad I just move on, usually without a peep. I don't hate the author or wish he or she ill will. Besides, my time is far too precious. I'd much prefer writing about the books that have moved me, informed me, opened doors for me, entertained me. Ah, but that's what differentiates us, it's the difference between vanilla and chocolate. After all, that is all a review really is, one person's opinion, and very often that person holds no special degree in literary criticism, do they?

I am reminded of what Kurt Vonnegut thought about the matter: "As for literary criticism in general; I have long felt that any reviewer who expresses rage and loathing for a novel or a play or a poem is preposterous. He or she is like a person who has put on full armor and attacked a hot fudge sundae, or a banana split."

Now that I got that off my chest, it's back to the book!

    • Lilly Adam Lilly Adam 4 years ago
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    • Words of pure truth...have experienced the same scenario myself. I really don't think reviewers realise how damaging their harsh comments and low star ratings can be to an author.
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writing
David Butterworth
Historical Mystery Suspense
5 years

1. Just write. Once you've begun to start writing what you want written, the nagging in your head will stop.

2. Write for the love and the craft of the art. Publishing has become an overrated success circus.

3. No one is going to teach you how to write. If you’re interested in technique or some technical skill, choose a more suitable occupation.

4. If you want to improve your writing, read and draw inspiration from among the greatest writers who have lived and are no longer here.

5. Get someone to read what you have written. He or she can see things you can't see and offer constructive criticism.

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writing
Samantha A. Cole
Suspense Contemporary Romance
5 years

1) Don't give up.
2) Listen to the advice of authors who have come before you, yet do what works best for you.
3) Get an editor.
4) Read other authors in the top 100 of your genre to better understand what readers like.
5) Never respond to reviews, but take a bad review and use it as constructive criticism to make your books better.
6) Leave your ego at the door

(Okay, that was six, but they are all important.)

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writing
Suzanne Catalano
Contemporary Romance Romance
10 months

(1)When I am driving, I am in my most thoughtful and meditative state of mind. The voice in my head wants to be heard, and some of it is pure gold, some is garbage. I use a dictation app to capture my thoughts. I find that by taking out the process of typing, conjugating and editing my thoughts stay better on track.

(2)When I read books by others, I pay attention to how they develop characters, plots, etc. I remember what works well and what does not. From this practice, I hone my own skills regarding these elements.

(3)When writing, I do well in cool, quiet places. (4)When editing, I can be in a busy environment. I can hear music. (5)When I have 'writers block', I pause to sort M&Ms. I often have a bag of M&Ms on hand and I eat them by color; first all the reds, then the blues, yellows, and so on. The process of sorting often gets the words flowing before I run out of colors.

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marketing
M.K. McDaniel
Biographies & Memoirs
1 year

I highly recommend joining a Podcast matching service to give you leads on which Podcasts would be a good fit for your book, and then actively seek to get booked on them as often as possible. These opportunities get your name, face and book title out in front of book readers all over the world for FREE!

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writing
David W Sherwood
Thriller Action & Adventure
1 year

Double check the file you are about to upload.
Make certain that it is not your master file you accidentally wrote over with one you were editing a few weeks ago. Critical life long reviews will follow.

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writing
A P Von K'Ory
Thriller Suspense
2 years

6 Questions to Define Your Characters: My Take
By A P von K’Ory

As writers we’re familiar with the five basic elements in every story: character, setting, plot, conflict and resolution. Writer Lekic suggests six questions all writers should ask themselves to help them better define their characters. I used them to a great extent in writing Shana and Roman’s story in the Golden Shana Series. Below is my take.

1. Why is the character unhappy with his or her current life?
I tend to do the contrary – I make the character as happy as a lark, to start with, then find a way to mess up that joy thoroughly and have them go through all the nasty processes in order to figure out how to achieve that sublime happiness again. This is what I do with Shana and Roman in the Golden Shana Series.

2. What does the character want to happen to change his or her circumstances?
When I get Shana and Roman to meet for the first time, I intentionally make their meeting place the world’s most famous and revered opera house, La Scala in Milan. This very symbol of culturedness, success, elitism and wealth becomes the kickoff of their beautiful and carefree life suddenly making them aware that they have feelings, emotions deeper than spectacular opulence and comfort. I want them suddenly confronted with their abject internal poverty. That constituted a more compelling challenge to me (and my protagonists) than the well-trod rugs-to-riches. I wanted a figurative riches-to-rugs story.

3. Why hasn't the character done so already?
In Shana and Roman, I create two people who have never really known basic unhappiness in an existential sense. Their wealth and social standing offer them joy, pleasure, privilege and power. Until they meet and are confronted with a new state of being: the lack of those privileges and power in their internal well-being. From the fairytale castle right into the sinister forest they can’t escape for all the trees and lack of experience.

4. What steps must the character take to achieve his or her goal?
In my story, Roman’s first reaction is his usual Alpha billionaire I-get-whatever-I-want. When this strategy fails he realizes he needs to change tack. When that, too, fails and he still can’t walk away and forget his goal, he realizes he’s up against a totally different “need” deep within him that demands he recognizes it and changes himself in order to reach his goal. The zillionaire Shana, on the other hand, has her demons when it comes to men. She, too, has to recognize that there are men, other than precious Pappa and her brothers, who are trustworthy and full of honourable intentions. She has to come to terms with the fact that the infamous global womanizer and Europe’s heartthrob, Roman Castell, is capable of genuine love. She has to learn to relinquish control and accept the important bond of fealty and loyalty to a man outside her family.

5. What stands in his or her way?
Each writer has to decide on this in accordance with their story and plot. I can’t reveal all of mine here for fear of the infamous plot spoiler alert!

6. What will motivate the character to persevere?
And here we come (miraculously!) to the resolution, which takes us full circle back to the where we began: Why the character is unhappy, and what he or she is willing to sacrifice in order to be happy. How they do this brings in the suite of conflicts and constitutes the story.

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Terry Lister
Action & Adventure Biographies & Memoirs
2 years

I write about my solo travels so the most important thing is to write from the heart . To be able to tell the take without bias is very important though that does not mean you can not express feelings.

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Lyn Pickering
Historical Mystery Mystery
3 years

Focus on putting your first draft to paper without considering whether it will look good to a potential reader. Consider it a skeleton that will need flesh and blood later.

Never, never submit the first draft, or even the second, to anyone! Clothe that body first - no one needs to know that your writing body was once naked.

For good "spontaneous" writing, edit over and over again until your wording becomes crisp and you generate the emotion you desire to portray.

Check your paragraphs to see whether you have duplicated words. These generally jar a reader.

Find new, more intense, satisfying words for those that have become stale in your vocabulary.

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Elizabeth Foster
Fantasy Teen & Young Adult
3 years

Try to stick to a routine.
Read with a writer's eye.
Keep a notebook handy.
People watch.
Trust the process.

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Deborah Camp
Contemporary Romance Historical Romance
4 years

1. Be sure you have a foolproof crucible plot. In a romance, your hero and heroine must be in a situation they can't escape. If they could walk away and don't after the first big conflict, then your readers will think they're stupid and deserve each other! Put them in a situation where walking away would cost them far too much.
2. Your book should begin with "why is this day unlike any other?" Get to that quickly. If it is just another day, then it's dull. Something monumental must happen that day -- within a few pages of the book -- to hook the reader.
3. Peel your main characters like an onion. One layer at a time. Don't tell us their whole backstory in big clumps of pages. Feed it to us in small doses, telling us only what is necessary for us to know about their history in order to understand how they are handling the present situation. Readers need to get to know your characters a bit before they will be interested in what happened to them in the past.
4. Secondary characters should support and play off of the main characters. They are there to reveal more about the hero and heroine or to throw up roadblocks. Don't allow them to have their own story that has little to do with what's going on with the hero and heroine. Keep the focus on your protagonists.
5. Finally, and most importantly, "show, don't tell." Show the story through your main characters' eyes, ears, nose, taste, and touch. Don't tell us things through your author viewpoint. You aren't part of this story. You aren't a character in this book. Don't tell us things about the characters -- show us the characters by staying in their viewpoints so that we experience the world through them -- not through you.

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