tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28550760763419243962024-03-13T05:22:05.153-06:00Mad InkAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03209949145997932361noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855076076341924396.post-61096955920527688712015-08-08T15:14:00.003-06:002015-08-08T15:14:42.062-06:0050+ Successful Query Letters from Contracted Authors<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="http://querylettersuccess.com/" target="_blank"><b>Query Letter Success</b></a> now has more than 50 successful query letters and behind the scenes detail from authors that resulted in contracts with literary agents and/or publishing companies such as Random House, Scholastic, HarperCollins, Bad Day Books, Entangled Teen, Hydra, SAGA PRESS, and many others.</div>
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If you're working on a query letter or are writing a book with the intent to eventually query an agency or publishing house, <a href="http://querylettersuccess.com/" target="_blank"><b>http://www.querylettersuccess.com</b> </a>is a GREAT resource to see what success reads like or to get inspired by author success stories. And here's the best part: it's only going to get better. The site will soon contain an entire section on what to do after you've signed that contract.<br />
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So keep writing... and chasing your dreams. And when you're ready to query your favorite agent or publishing house, remember that <b>Query Letter Success</b> was created especially for you.<br />
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#amediting #querylettersuccess #queryletter #amwriting<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03209949145997932361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855076076341924396.post-11365497515932304692014-11-01T09:14:00.000-06:002014-12-20T12:39:40.977-07:00The Ten Point Query - QUERY LETTER SUCCESS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Judging a query letter, like in many Olympic sports, may appear subjective at best, so I've created the <a href="http://tenpointquery.com/" target="_blank">Ten Point Query</a><span id="goog_823041712"></span><span id="goog_823041713"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a> to help you reach for the perfect score (and agent!). These are all based on my list of query letter best practices.</div>
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<b><u>THE TEN POINT QUERY</u></b><br />
1. Stick to what works (query format)<br />
2. Find your voice<br />
3. Focus on characters that matter<br />
4. Start in the action<br />
5. Deliver on conflict<br />
6. Be specific<br />
7. Show, don't tell<br />
8. End with a bang<br />
9. Make it easy to read<br />
10. Omit needless words<br />
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I've provided additional detail on these ten points at querylettersuccess.com. <a href="http://querylettersuccess.com/submit_query" target="_blank">Submit your query letter</a> for a free review to see if you're ready to submit to your favorite agent. I will edit, score, and publish the results for free. All scores are based on the Ten Point Query method. You get one point for successfully incorporating each principle of the Ten Point Query throughout your query letter. No partial credit is given.<br />
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My service is similar to the one provided by <a href="http://queryshark.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Query Shark</a>, except I won't be selective about whose query letter I review. You submit it--I'll review it. The other main difference is that the Ten Point Query lets you know up front (in simple terms) what's required to get a good score. I will point out how and why you lost points, relating my feedback to one or several of the principles in the Ten Point Query and what needs to be done to fix it.<br />
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I've spent years working on the dreaded query letter. Anyone who's written one knows how daunting of a task it can be to condense your 80,000 word novel down into a few hundred words. I've tested the Ten Point Query enough to know it works. Try it for yourself. Keep in mind, a perfect score does not guarantee an agent is looking for or will want to ready your particular story. But (to steal a line) the odds will be ever in your favor. Good luck!<br />
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P.S. If you're interested in my story and why I'm providing this service for free, you can read it at <a href="http://benhutchins.com/about">benhutchins.com/about</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03209949145997932361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855076076341924396.post-41817328356287942322014-07-25T14:48:00.001-06:002014-12-24T09:51:29.804-07:00Query Letter Best Practices<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What I Learned From 25 Professional Critiques. </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.parkliterary.com/staff_bios.asp" target="_blank">Pete J. Knapp</a> is a literary agent at the Park Literary
Group, LLC, focused on middle grade and young adult fiction. He recently held a
query critique e-conference where 25 writers were lucky enough to have their
query critiqued by him in a public forum, free of charge. Unfortunately, he didn't choose mine. I still came out on top because I synthesized all 25 professional critiques into a list of query letter
best practices. I’ve broken it down into three sections: the general query
letter, the plot/synopsis, and a list of don’ts. I hope you benefit from this
as much as I have. Thanks, Pete! </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">QUERY LETTER BEST PRACTICES<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<ul>
<li>Open the query letter with the most exciting part: the story
plot. Not the title of your book or how you found out about the agent. The one
exception to this is when you have a personal connection to the agent.</li>
<li>Query letters that match the style of the book are more
successful. If your book is supposed to be funny, the query letter better make
the agent laugh. Find the voice of your protagonist and pretend that he or she
is writing the query letter for you.</li>
<li>If your story has SciFi or Fantasy elements to it, this
should be clear early on in the plot/synopsis. When saved for the end, it comes
across as a bait and switch.</li>
<li>Your query letter should read like a letter. Lists can be
risky.</li>
<li>The most important element to your query letter is your
plot/synopsis.</li>
<li>Sell the story, not why you wrote it.</li>
<li>Even quiet stories must have something that shows why this
is “THE” story worth telling.</li>
<li>Scientific, medical, or other complex terms used in a query should
be explained if they are not common knowledge.</li>
<li>Break the query into three parts:</li>
<ul>
<li>The plot/synopsis</li>
<li>Your book title, genre, word count, and what it's most like (similar to)</li>
<li>Personal connection (why you chose this agent) and any relevant credentials</li>
</ul>
<li>Keep your query letter between 200 and 500 words, with 350
being the happy medium. Either end of this range can be too short or too long
if not done right.</li>
<ul>
<li>Pete critiqued more queries for being too short (not enough
detail) then he did for being too long. </li>
</ul>
<li>Include credentials that make you an authoritative subject
matter.</li>
<li>Why you chose this agent: keep it short and relevant.</li>
<ul>
<li>Your book is similar to another book the agent likes (always
state which one), we met at a conference, etc.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">PLOT/SYNOPSIS – BEST PRACTICES</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li>Start in the action—what does your protagonist want?</li>
<li>The first sentence of plot/synopsis needs to excite the
agent, set your story apart.</li>
<li>Explain the extraordinary instead of stating the ordinary (what
makes your story different?</li>
<li>Introduce the protagonist in the opening paragraph.</li>
<li>Keep your plot points in sequential order.</li>
<li>Your protagonist must have compelling reasons for the
decisions they make—keep motives clear.</li>
<li>Show how the character arc develops—what are the
emotional/physical challenges that develop your protagonist?</li>
<ul>
<li>Use specific examples—if you can’t show how they change over
the course of the story, then your story isn’t worth reading.</li>
<li>What’s at stake—low risk translates to low reward for the
reader and agent.</li>
</ul>
<li>Tell what the protagonist wants, why they can’t have it, and
how he he/she gets there.</li>
<li>Make plot points clear, easily understood. Agents want to
know what they’re getting and general statements that leave them guessing don’t
help.</li>
<li>Always explain a character’s importance if you mention them
by name.</li>
<li>Use normal case for character names (don’t use CAPS).</li>
<ul>
<li>Everything in your plot/synopsis should make an agent want
to read your book.</li>
</ul>
<li>Include the emotional state of the protagonist in the plot.</li>
<li>State the objective/motive of villain or it will come across
as flat.</li>
<li>End plot/synopsis with a punch.</li>
<li>Let the theme of the story be shown through the plot
description rather than telling it up front.</li>
<li>When using a hook, let it be a standalone sentence/paragraph.</li>
<li>Some agents, like Pete, prefer you start at the beginning of
the plot and let it build rather than throwing the hook up front.</li>
<li>Choose your plot points sparingly. Trying to explain too
much will sink the query letter. Better to have fewer plot points with
necessary detail than many plot points and little detail.</li>
<li>Specifics, specifics, specifics . . . don’t leave the agent
guessing.</li>
<ul>
<li>Leaving teasers like “family Secrets”, “tested”, “special
powers”, etc. without explaining the what or the why will sink your query.</li>
</ul>
<li>Make sure your plot/synopsis flows, reads smooth from one
sentence to the next. There is no such thing as a scene change in a query
letter. Lead your agent from the beginning to the end of the story arc. How
they got from point A to point D of your plot points should read logically.</li>
</ul>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">WHAT NOT TO DO – BEST PRACTICES<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<ul>
<li>Avoid using a quote from your novel in the first sentence –
opinions may differ on this, but quotes generally don’t provide any of the
vital information agents are looking for about a story.</li>
<li>Questions distract agents from the story you’re trying to
convey - - tell, don’t ask.</li>
<li>Don’t be presumptuous (I look forward to hearing from you
soon).</li>
<li>No need to state that you are looking for representation.</li>
<li>Avoid excessive use of adjectives (more than one to describe
a noun).</li>
<li>Don’t ramble on about why the agent will like your book. Let
him/her decide for themselves.</li>
<li>Avoid using headers – paragraph form is preferred – this is
a query “letter” afterall.</li>
<li>Don’t repeat yourself (say the same thing twice in different
ways).</li>
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If you liked this post, you might also be interested in my <a href="http://benhutchins.blogspot.com/2014/04/beta-reader-critique-guide.html">BETA READER CRITIQUE GUIDE</a> or my <a href="http://querylettersuccess.com/" target="_blank">QUERY LETTER SUCCESS</a> site where you can read a collection of more than 25 successful query letters that helped authors sign contracts with literary agents and/or publishing companies.</div>
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Happy writing!</div>
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Ben</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03209949145997932361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855076076341924396.post-1867344111460551662014-07-17T15:01:00.001-06:002014-10-16T23:14:16.959-06:00Create a Flexible Story Outline in 7 Steps<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o3tR2TxjhZE/U8g5XUOyXgI/AAAAAAAAAgs/q4Dseu3S8rk/s1600/old-15487_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o3tR2TxjhZE/U8g5XUOyXgI/AAAAAAAAAgs/q4Dseu3S8rk/s1600/old-15487_640.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have yet to write a story by creating an outline first, but Brian Klem's article has convinced me to give it a try. I love letting a story take me where it will, but I believe this creative approach may double the editing work needed after the first draft is completed, unless you're a prodigy and can naturally anticipate each character arch and resolution. I've written the first chapter of my next novel, but I will pause and give this approach a try before continuing.<br />
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Check it out below.
7 STEPS TO CREATING A FLEXIBLE OUTLINE FOR ANY STORY
WRITTEN BY: BRIAN KLEMS (WRITER'S DIGEST)
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<div style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #443f38; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
<a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/7-steps-to-creating-a-flexible-outline-for-any-story" style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" target="_blank">http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/7-steps-to-creating-a-flexible-outline-for-any-story</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03209949145997932361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855076076341924396.post-8311777528340601532014-07-03T15:29:00.000-06:002014-07-03T15:29:01.569-06:00Scribophile - A Favorite Online Writing Community<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Every writer needs a place to sharpen their craft. <a href="http://www.scribophile.com/" target="_blank">Scribophile</a> is one my personal favorites. I've included a number of screenshots below because a picture's worth a thousand words. This site wins simply because it makes writing fun. The entire experience is based on a rewards system. If you want to post a work for critique, then you have to earn Karma points by critiquing the work of others. You get all sorts of crafty titles along the way as you accumulate points, such as Pencil Pusher, my current status. The best part . . . occasionally you get to read some truly impressive writing while having other writers offer helpful critiques on your own work. I'm a fan. See for yourself. Check out the site or at least take a look at the screenshots below.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03209949145997932361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855076076341924396.post-27339025864034484522014-06-05T09:30:00.000-06:002014-06-05T09:40:29.180-06:00Determining the Right Category for your Boook: MG, YA, NAThis is one of the best summaries I've read on how to determine what genre your book falls into.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">COMING OF AGE: WRITING FOR MG, YA, NA</span><br />
By <i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; text-align: -webkit-center;">by Sabine Berlin, with Angela Eschler</i><br />
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It started with a boy wizard, it grew with a vegetarian vampire, and it continued to explode with a girl on fire. Sprinkled in among the dark lords, werewolves, and districts was a magical forest behind Grandpa’s house and a school for the half-blood children of Greek gods. Since the early 2000s, books for kids have taken a dramatic turn right into the hearts of young and old alike. As the children/youth book market keeps growing, more and more authors are finding that creating a young protagonist opens a whole new world for their storytelling. So how do you know into which genre your main character fits? Is your protagonist a bold and daring Middle Grader, an adventurous Young Adult, or has your character slipped into the newest category and become a brave New Adult?</div>
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At a Glance</h3>
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It isn’t always easy to know into which category your character fits. A lot of it has to do with age, but theme plays a big role as well. When Brandon Sanderson wrote the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0439925509/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0439925509&linkCode=as2&tag=eschlediti-20&linkId=4T7EJUWMGCEYN2LH" style="color: #a03231;" target="_blank">Alcatraz</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=eschlediti-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0439925509" height="1" style="border: none !important; height: auto; margin: 0px !important; max-width: 100%;" width="1" /> series, his protagonist was originally 15, but when the book was published, the age was lowered to 13 because of the themes and content; thus a perfect set of books for Middle Grade readers was born. (A book may be shelved at the bookstore according to the age of the protagonist—over age 12 often moves from the children’s section to YA—so choose the age and themes wisely.) Then there are series in which the protagonist morphs from one age to another: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0545162076/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0545162076&linkCode=as2&tag=eschlediti-20&linkId=2765R4V5AKQ224YF" style="color: #a03231;" target="_blank">Harry Potter</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=eschlediti-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0545162076" height="1" style="border: none !important; height: auto; margin: 0px !important; max-width: 100%;" width="1" />started out as a Middle Grader (MG) and eventually joined the ranks of Young Adult (YA). Most teenagers belong to the YA world, but once they leave high school they start to jump ship into the sea of New Adults (NA). So while it may be easy to remember that a 10-year-old protagonist is MG, a 15-year-old is most likely YA, and a 20-year-old has definitely hit NA, there is still some murky ground in between.</div>
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A general rule of thumb is that your protagonist or narrator will be two years older than your main group of readers. (This is when we’re talking about books written <em>for children; </em> <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400032717/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1400032717&linkCode=as2&tag=eschlediti-20&linkId=ZVGFYKLGP5DJKK4T" style="color: #a03231;" target="_blank">The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=eschlediti-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1400032717" height="1" style="border: none !important; height: auto; margin: 0px !important; max-width: 100%;" width="1" /></i> or <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1608199444/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1608199444&linkCode=as2&tag=eschlediti-20&linkId=LZDPELEPJOHCJSKF" style="color: #a03231;" target="_blank">The Night Rainbow</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=eschlediti-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1608199444" height="1" style="border: none !important; height: auto; margin: 0px !important; max-width: 100%;" width="1" /> </i>are not really books for kids, no matter how young the narrators. Obviously the themes are more geared toward adult interests.) Depending on the agent or editor to whom you are talking, the following numbers may shift slightly in either direction, but for the most part this guide will get you where you want to go.<span id="more-2851"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #993300;"><b>Middle Grade:</b></span> One of the best definitions of MG books I’ve ever heard was on a <a href="http://www.writingexcuses.com/2013/06/23/" style="color: #a03231;" target="_blank">Writing Excuses</a> podcast: They noted that MG books are those a teacher or librarian gives to a kid, rather than ones kids buy for themselves. This is one of the reasons that MG and even some YA books are not necessarily a great fit for self-publishing. Kids at this age are not going to buy an ebook for themselves, and most school libraries don’t stock self-published books. (If you’re not sure if your book is better off being self- or traditionally published, check out our <a href="http://www.eschlerediting.com/traditional-or-self-publishing/#more-2805" style="color: #a03231;" target="_blank">article</a> on traditional vs. self-publishing.)</div>
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MG books can range anywhere from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0810993139/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0810993139&linkCode=as2&tag=eschlediti-20&linkId=7E3ILSBWDLD6FVVB" style="color: #a03231;" target="_blank">Diary of a Wimpy Kid</a><i><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=eschlediti-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0810993139" height="1" style="border: none !important; height: auto; margin: 0px !important; max-width: 100%;" width="1" /></i> to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/142314189X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=142314189X&linkCode=as2&tag=eschlediti-20&linkId=7NBVHF6366LHR6K7" style="color: #a03231;" target="_blank">Percy Jackson & the Olympians.</a><i><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=eschlediti-20&l=as2&o=1&a=142314189X" height="1" style="border: none !important; height: auto; margin: 0px !important; max-width: 100%;" width="1" /></i> They are usually for readers 8 to 13 who are ready to jump away from chapter books and really start exploring their world. There are little to no romantic subplots in these books, and they usually find the protagonist going on some type of quest to save the world. Think the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002QX43F2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002QX43F2&linkCode=as2&tag=eschlediti-20&linkId=U4O7IEKZPBNVDWBM" style="color: #a03231;" target="_blank">Farworld</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=eschlediti-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002QX43F2" height="1" style="border: none !important; height: auto; margin: 0px !important; max-width: 100%;" width="1" />series by J. Scott Savage or even a contemporary quest like in R. J. Palacio’s <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375869026/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0375869026&linkCode=as2&tag=eschlediti-20&linkId=VQIKINIGPQWEPPQ5" style="color: #a03231;" target="_blank">Wonder</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=eschlediti-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0375869026" height="1" style="border: none !important; height: auto; margin: 0px !important; max-width: 100%;" width="1" />.</i></div>
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The average word count for MG ranges from low picture book end at about 20K to higher MG at about 50K.</div>
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<span style="color: #993300;"><b>Young Adult:</b></span> YA books are usually for readers 13 to 18. These books are all about discovering who you are in the world. Most of the time the teen protagonist is on his or her own or with friends; family is not as prevalent in this journey. While MG is about saving the establishment and keeping the world around the characters from changing, YA is about breaking the establishment down, fighting against it, and starting something. Katniss wants to stop the<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0439023521/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0439023521&linkCode=as2&tag=eschlediti-20&linkId=AGFM53F4KSXHLORA" style="color: #a03231;" target="_blank">Hunger Games</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=eschlediti-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0439023521" height="1" style="border: none !important; height: auto; margin: 0px !important; max-width: 100%;" width="1" />, Tris wants to break free from the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062024027/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0062024027&linkCode=as2&tag=eschlediti-20&linkId=HAHBC5WPKZPHUBUX" style="color: #a03231;" target="_blank">factions</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=eschlediti-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0062024027" height="1" style="border: none !important; height: auto; margin: 0px !important; max-width: 100%;" width="1" />. <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/014242417X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=014242417X&linkCode=as2&tag=eschlediti-20&linkId=BI35JO6OOMNL377P" style="color: #a03231;" target="_blank">The Fault in Our Stars</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=eschlediti-20&l=as2&o=1&a=014242417X" height="1" style="border: none !important; height: auto; margin: 0px !important; max-width: 100%;" width="1" /></i> explores rebellion against terminal illness. YA books need to have teen voice and appeal to that market’s interests and mindset.</div>
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Teens are interested in themselves and their world. This is one of the reasons there’s a lot of first-person narrative in YA. A lot of YA also takes place in school, as this is a big part of a teenager’s life. You will find more school-related stories in YA than in MG.</div>
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The average length for YA will be between 50K and 80K words.</div>
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<span style="color: #993300;"><b>New Adult</b>:</span> NA is a fresh and upcoming category that is still working on an exact definition. The basic ages for this category are late teens (18+) to early 20s. It explores the theme of becoming an adult. Here you will find stories about moving out for the first time, going away to college, and learning how to survive in the big, bad world. At this stage in the game you are going to find a lot more sex than in YA (although YA nowadays has its fair amount); even though romance is currently driving the sales in this category, don’t think NA is just about sex. It is about self-development, becoming the adult you want to be, and finding your way in the world. A great example is <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062273248/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0062273248&linkCode=as2&tag=eschlediti-20&linkId=H7QPDPE3DMH6VPQ6" style="color: #a03231;" target="_blank">Losing It</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=eschlediti-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0062273248" height="1" style="border: none !important; height: auto; margin: 0px !important; max-width: 100%;" width="1" /></i> by Cora Carmack.</div>
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Agent Kathleen Rushall does a great job of sifting NA from YA:</div>
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In a sense, New Adult is similar to YA in that it can cross subject matter, but whatever the plot, it’s defined by general themes of what the characters are going through. … Where in YA we find characters trying to find their place in the world while still struggling with restrictions or being under someone or something’s control (be it parents, guardians, the government, etc.), NA is a step beyond that age. Generally, NA focuses on characters that are free from those kinds of restrictions for the first time in their lives. They are finding their path, whether it’s experiencing love, experimenting with something in a way they haven’t before, discovering a career path, or leaving home for the first time. NA is all about beginnings and the challenges that can bring.”</div>
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These books are about the same length as YA, though they can be slightly longer, just like certain YA can. Generally, NA comes in at 55K to 85K words.</div>
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<strong>A key consideration: </strong>If you are a new author (unsold/no strong sales numbers), you are much more likely to sell to a publisher (and get an agent) if you stay within the word counts above for each category, and if you avoid exploring the crossover gray areas between categories. For instance, it’s much harder to sell a book for tweens than one that is clearly for middle graders or young adults (in terms of character age and themes matching perfectly). You will often see authors of series characters successfully explore these in-between places, but solid sales and a built-in audience support that. Newbie authors almost always have to jump through hoops before they can break “rules.” You may see exceptions out there, but don’t<em>count on </em> being one if your goal is to be successfully published as soon as possible. For breaking into kidlit, write something solidly marketable, make a name for yourself, and <em>then</em> the sky’s the limit.</div>
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Write It Right</h3>
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Once you choose your protagonist’s age and the core story you want to tell, there are a few tips to remember when writing, as an adult, for children and teens.</div>
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<li style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #993300;">Papa Don’t Preach:</span> Perhaps the worst thing you can do when writing for a young audience is to preach to them. Kids don’t like to be talked down to. They will pick books that make them think, learn, and grow, not books that make them feel like they are getting a lecture.</li>
<li style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #993300;">The Wonder Years:</span> Agent John Cusick talks about this phenomenon. Remember the narration at the beginning of each episode of <i>The Wonder Years</i>? Remember how the narrator fondly—or sometimes not so fondly—looked back on the days of his youth? Books written for kids should not be retrospective. It is a kid’s story, not an adult’s story. (If it’s looking back more than a few months, it’s for adults.)</li>
<li style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #993300;">Emperor’s New Clothes:</span> Another bit of wisdom from Cusick is not to be phoney. Just like it was a child who called out the emperor in the fairy tale, kids can tell the difference between trying to imitate them and writing them the way they are (from their own point of view). This sort of ties into the not reminiscing about your own childhood. When writing for kids today, you need to write how kids are today. Don’t create the world you think they live in, create the world they actually live in. Kids have unique views of the world; find out what those views are before you start writing your book.</li>
<li style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #993300;">What’chu Talkin’ ’bout, Willis?</span> When writing for kids you don’t want to dumb down the ideas, but you do want to use language that they can relate to or understand. It is one thing to have a few choice words that a child may need to look up, but when they are putting your book down every few pages to look up another word, it won’t be long before they stop picking your book back up. Also, is your slang contemporary enough or are you still throwing “groovy” in there? Do your kids sound snarky because that’s what you think kids sound like? Basically you want to avoid writing in a voice that sounds like an adult’s perspective on how kids talk. This is especially true for YA. Teens take themselves seriously. You might think they talk like bubblegum heads, but they don’t think they do.</li>
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These are just a few tips to get you started. In a week we’ll talk about the next step in writing for kids (and any age reader!)—coming up with ideas that sell, or what agents call “high-concept” ideas. We’ll define what they are so you can tailor them for kids. Remember, books for children are all about exciting ideas, whether it’s discovering a hidden world in the wardrobe or the hidden world of a college campus. Popular MG, YA, and NA books offer a wide range of concepts kids are excited to explore, whether it’s hope, mystery, courage, or charm—ideas that sometimes, as adults, we find ourselves turning hard and cynical toward. Franz Kafka said:</div>
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Youth is happy because it has the capacity to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.”</div>
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Dave Wolverton describes this quality in kids as “wonder,” arguing they are drawn to books that fill them with awe. Whether your book is being read by a spunky teenager in New York or a middle-aged mom in New Mexico, let your story be beautiful, let it be filled with wonder, let it come of age.</div>
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Do This Now<b></b></h3>
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Get yourself in a younger mindset by trying the following tips.</div>
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<li style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px;">Watch the CW and ABC Family networks. <i>Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars,</i> and<i>The 100. </i>These are the shows about teens and shows that teens watch and love. A lot of them are based off popular teen book series. For the pre-teen audience, you may have more luck with Nickelodeon or the Disney Channel.</li>
<li style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px;">Read books in these genres. And, by this, I mean read the most popular best-selling books. Sure, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0064471047/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0064471047&linkCode=as2&tag=eschlediti-20&linkId=6QBDDYBVWMNWVN7L" style="color: #a03231;" target="_blank">The Chronicles of Narnia</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=eschlediti-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0064471047" height="1" style="border: none !important; height: auto; margin: 0px !important; max-width: 100%;" width="1" /> are amazing books for kids, and all children should read them, but the way to break into the kidlit market of today is to dial in to what kids love right now. I’ve listed a few, but go to <a href="http://goodreads.com/" style="color: #a03231;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> and search the lists or see what’s on the shelf at your local bookstore.</li>
<li style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px;">Listen to kids. Do you have teenagers? Nieces and nephews? Neighbors under the age of 18? Find ways to listen to them. When I’m driving kids to and from soccer, I listen to them, trying to pick up on the latest slang, as well as their likes and dislikes. You’ll get more insight just from listening to them—especially when they’re talking to their friends—than you will by quizzing them about things.</li>
<li style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px;">Find yourself a child/teen reader. Actually find yourself as many readers as you can in the genre of your book. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have adults read it, but knowing what kids like will help your book soar into the marketplace.</li>
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<i>Your Turn: Have a great tip on finding voice for young readers? Share it with us! Do you have a favorite MG/YA/NA book to recommend? We would love to know what you (and your kids) are reading right now.</i></div>
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<i>And if you liked this article, please share!</i></div>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><i>http://www.eschlerediting.com/coming-of-age-writing-for-mgyana/</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #993300; font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="http://www.eschlerediting.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/SabineBerlinBW.jpg" style="color: #a03231;"><img alt="Sabine Berlin" class=" wp-image-2460 alignleft" src="http://www.eschlerediting.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/SabineBerlinBW-150x150.jpg" height="120" style="border: none; display: inline; float: left; height: auto; margin: 0px 20px 20px 0px; max-width: 100%;" width="120" /></a>Sabine is an avid reader of everything from Asimov to Zusak. She has a degree in history, writes YA fiction, and was selected to attend Orson Scott Card’s Literary Bootcamp, where she studied writing and critiquing. She has been with Eschler Editing since 2012. She invites you to visit her <a href="http://writinginberlin.blogspot.com/" style="color: #a03231;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #993300;">blog</span></a>.</i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03209949145997932361noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855076076341924396.post-50543299069986414662014-04-24T13:05:00.001-06:002014-04-26T12:48:21.169-06:00Beta Reader Critique Guide<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q3rho_F81SU/U1qlPe4mfnI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/tB2hB6PqH9o/s1600/bigstock-magic-book-5034701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q3rho_F81SU/U1qlPe4mfnI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/tB2hB6PqH9o/s1600/bigstock-magic-book-5034701.jpg" height="198" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Being a good beta reader
is an art, a carefully crafted skill for most people. The critiques they
provide are invaluable, but especially for aspiring authors throwing their work
out there, so to speak, with 700,000 other manuscripts (published last year).
So how do you help new beta readers out without overwhelming them? I did some
searching and found a little help. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="http://dimitritishler.com/blog/2013/01/12/beta-readerscritique-form/" target="_blank">Dimitri Tishler</a> and <a href="http://www.melanieconklin.com/2012/11/how-to-rock-beta-reading.html" target="_blank">MelanieConklin</a> compiled a nice list of tips for beta readers. I’ve taken a lot of
their suggestions and added in several of my own to create a Beta Reader
Critique Guide (see below). I place the guide at the front of the manuscript
so that it’s the first thing beta readers see. It includes a personalized note at
the top, thanking them in advance for taking time to read my book. Then I put the beta reader critique form at the back of the book so it's the first thing they see when they finish reading. And they can
summarize their thoughts for each of the major categories. My example below is
for beta readers with hard copies but is easily modified for electronic
versions of your manuscript. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I don’t claim my Beta
Reader Critique Guide is perfect or complete, but it’s a fantastic jump start
if you’re wondering where to begin. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’d love to hear from those who have done
something similar. If you have tips you’d add to this, leave a comment.</span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> The goal is to
help beta readers understand what to look for as they read your book. I have no
expectation that anyone will critique my book on every single point listed in
the guide. But I do believe this will help new beta readers give a more
thoughtful critique than they otherwise might have.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<h1>
BETA READERS<o:p></o:p></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I hope you enjoy reading HOWIE & THE PRINCE OF GREED. Please
feel free to mark up the manuscript as you read. If you find a mistake, circle
it. If something doesn't make sense, circle it and let me know. Write in the
margins or at the end of chapters or use the survey at the end of the book to
summarize your thoughts. Or you can type out your feedback and email it to me.
Whatever works best for <i>you</i>. To help
get the creative juices flowing, I’m looking for any feedback you have to offer
regarding the main topics described below: <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Plot /
Story Pacing<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Does each scene have a natural flow to it or do
they move too fast or too slow? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Are the transitions between scenes smooth or are
they clunky and disjoined?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Do chapters start and end well, make you want to
keep reading?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Are the scenes authentic and believable –
keeping in mind this is a fantasy novel?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Does the plot surprise you? Disappoint you? Is
it too predictable?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Are there enough action scenes? Do they create
enough excitement?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Is the plot too predictable or are there nice
surprises along the way?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Is there any payoff (sense of satisfaction) for
reading this book? Is there closure?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 18.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Grammar /
Dialogue / Structure<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 18.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Does
the story show you or tell you what’s happening?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 18.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Is
the passive voice (was, would, etc.) too excessive?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 18.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Are
there too many cliché phrases? Or too many adverbs (words ending in “ly”)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 18.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Is
the dialogue differentiated from one character to the next? Are you aware of
which characters are speaking by the identity of the dialogue?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Is the dialogue smooth and interesting or is it
stiff and clunky?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Does the book read easy or are you pulled out of
the story by frequent mistakes?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Who does my writing most remind you of?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Character
development<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Is it easy to identify with or remember each the
main characters? Or are there some characters you have a hard time following or
remembering? Who they are?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Are there any minor characters which seem over
or under developed - how? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->The story is written from the viewpoint of Howie
- does the view point ever stray?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Are the characters believable? Do you care
about any of them? Do they do things that seem illogical?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Who is your favorite character and why? Who is
your least favorite character and why?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Theme /
Symbol / Metaphor<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Do you like the spiritual or religious themes
which underpin this story or do you find them intrusive and uninteresting?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Does the incorporation of Native American
culture and mythology come across as authentic – what worked or didn’t work for
you?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Does the Lenpe language used in the book help or
hinder the story, was it written in a way that made it easy to understand or
did you find it disruptive?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Does the medallion come across as a believable
object of power in the context of the story? Did the medallion’s connection to
Lenape and Christian culture/topics help or hurt the story?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>World
Building / Setting<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Can you visualize the scenes being described? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Do the scenes get bogged down in too much detail?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Is the setting or environment believable and
authentic?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Does the setting enhance or distract from the
story?<o:p></o:p></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br clear="all" style="mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" />
</span></b>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b> </b></div>
<h1>
BETA READER CRITIQUE – 8 Questions<o:p></o:p></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thank you for reading or attempting to read my book. A
writer is nothing without readers. Please be honest with your feedback. Specific
examples of what worked and what didn’t will give me the best chance at making
improvements and of the book being successful. Please refer to the front page
of the manuscript for a detailed description of questions you can answer within
each feedback category covered in questions 4-8 of this survey.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ol>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Did you finish reading the book (circle the
correct answer): </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Yes
or No</span></li>
<li style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Please rate HOWIE & THE PRINCE OF GREED as
you would on Amazon (circle your answer).</span></li>
<ol>
<li style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">One Star</span></li>
<li style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Two Stars</span></li>
<li style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Three Stars</span></li>
<li style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Four Stars</span></li>
<li style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Five Stars</span></li>
</ol>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Write
a brief critique that you might leave if you were posting this to Amazon or
Goodreads right now (your comments will not be published or used without
permission).</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Summarize
your thoughts around story plot and story pace.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Summarize
your thoughts around character development.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Summarize
your thoughts on grammar, dialogue, and structure.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Summarize
your thoughts on the story’s theme, symbolism, or metaphor.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Summarize your thoughts on the story’s setting
(world building).</span></li>
</ol>
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03209949145997932361noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855076076341924396.post-46499481159660782982014-04-23T12:09:00.000-06:002014-04-23T12:09:38.378-06:00Publishing Brands - Great Forbes Article<h1 itemprop="headline" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 15px 120px 18px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-size: 42px;">The Strongest Brand In Publishing Is ... </span><span style="font-size: small;">(by David Vinjamuri)</span></h1>
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When comparing authors, publishers tend to focus on book sales. But sales figures tell only part of the story. Expensive advertising and a strong push for distribution and display at bookstores might yield strong initial sales but create lots of returns and low profitability. An early and fortuitous movie deal might overexpose a book that doesn’t meet the promise of the movie.</div>
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A thousand other externalities make sales data inadequate to measure the strength of an author’s franchise. To understand which authors are worth investing in, publishers need a better measure of an author’s value.</div>
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<b style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Brand, Not Platform</b></div>
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The metric often used to evaluate new or developing authors is<i style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">platform</i> – roughly defined as the social reach of the author though Facebook fans, Twitter followers, blog views and speaking engagements. But according to Peter Hildick-Smith of the <a href="http://www.codexgroup.net/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Codex Group</a>, which polls thousands of readers to determine their preferences and purchase behavior, platform is a misleading metric.</div>
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<em style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">We’ve seen celebrities with extremely high name recognition and very large platforms fail miserably in book sales. Being famous or having millions of Twitter followers alone is not enough to build a strong franchise as an author.</em></div>
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Hildick-Smith points out that only about <em style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">half</em> of adults read books and just <em style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">a fifth</em> are regular book buyers. So a celebrity with a large and dedicated following will not automatically become a bestselling author.</div>
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<img alt="" src="http://blogs-images.forbes.com/davidvinjamuri/files/2014/03/bookstore-el-ateneo-2.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle;" /></div>
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Brand loyalty is important because it has a direct impact on profitability. In fact, Codex data shows that consumers are willing to pay a 66% premium for a book by a favorite author over an unknown author. The chart below is for eBooks only (the prices are higher and premiums narrower for print books), and it also suggests that ebooks from new or lesser-known authors should be priced under $6.00, versus the $9.36 or more that readers are willing to pay for a favorite author.</div>
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<img alt="Codex Author Brand - eBook Price Expectation 2.28.14" class=" size-full wp-image-1423" src="http://blogs-images.forbes.com/davidvinjamuri/files/2014/03/Codex-Author-Brand-eBook-Price-Expectation-2.28.14.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle;" /></div>
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<b style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Loyalty, Not Sales</b></div>
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“A great book will find its audience.”</div>
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One view in the publishing industry is that bestseller lists are the product of a skill-based meritocracy. But the reality is that the popular perception of a book itself is colored by the strength of the author’s brand. When we view bestseller list, part of what we’re seeing is a brand ranking. Without a strong and loyal fan base, there are few routes to these lists, and they all involve either book <a href="http://sanfranciscobookreview.com/2013/04/32-book-awards-authors-should-pursue-for-2013/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">awards</a>or <a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323864304578316143623600544" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">copious amounts of money</a>.</div>
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Yes, both online and critical reviews can help, but only if the book attracts enough attention to make these review relevant. In other words, before a book can possibly become a bestseller, it needs to reach critical mass. Without the foundations of a strong brand, most authors will never get this far.</div>
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We saw the proof of this point last year. In April of 2013, Little Brown (Hachette) published The Cuckoo’s Calling by unknown author Robert Galbraith. Despite the big-five publisher and <a href="http://www.booklistonline.com/ProductInfo.aspx?pid=5959473&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">solid early reviews</a>, the book sold just 440 print copies in April. When it was revealed several months later that the book’s author was none other than J.K. Rowling, the sales arc bent. As you can see from the chart below, The Cuckoo’s Calling sold 228,000 print copies in July.</div>
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<img alt="Codex Author Brand - Cuckoos Calling 2.28.14" class=" size-full wp-image-1424" src="http://blogs-images.forbes.com/davidvinjamuri/files/2014/03/Codex-Author-Brand-Cuckoos-Calling-2.28.14.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle;" /></div>
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So the author brand clearly has a huge impact on the success of a book, regardless of the quality. The question is – what makes for a strong author brand? To answer this question, let’s look at the strongest brand in the most recent Codex survey.</div>
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<b style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">And The Winner Is … JACK REACHER</b></div>
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Jack Reacher is the creation of British author Lee Child, and has sold more than 70 million books, making Reacher more than a billion-dollar brand. But what’s most interesting about Lee Child’s creation is not the size of the brand but its strength. Child doesn’t have the largest following among bestselling authors: just over a third of book shoppers are aware of him versus the more than 95% who know John Grisham and the 99% aware of Stephen King, both of whom have sold more books.</div>
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<a href="http://www.leechild.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="" src="http://blogs-images.forbes.com/davidvinjamuri/files/2014/03/author-photo.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle;" /></a></div>
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But while just under a quarter of Grisham and King’s readers count either man as their favorite author nearly a third of Reacher readers mark Child as their favorite. (King and Grisham still rate on the higher end of reader loyalty, by the way. Most bestselling authors have less than 20% fan loyalty.)</div>
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This loyalty is not just theoretical: Child carries a higher percentage of his readers with him to each successive book than any other bestselling author. While just 41% of John Grisham’s fans owned or planned to buy his newest novel Sycamore Row, 70% of Child’s fans wanted a copy of the last Jack Reacher tale “A Wanted Man”.<img alt="Codex Author Brand - Fan Fulfillment 2.28.14" class=" size-full wp-image-1425" src="http://blogs-images.forbes.com/davidvinjamuri/files/2014/03/Codex-Author-Brand-Fan-Fulfillment-2.28.14.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle;" /></div>
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In fact, Child has the strongest reader loyalty of any bestselling author. To get some insight into why Reacher is such a strong brand, I spoke to Child while he was running errands in Manhattan on a sunny New York morning last week. He emphasized three key factors behind Reacher’s success:</div>
<ol style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 161.65625px 15px 30px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Consistency</span> – Unlike Stephen King or John Grisham, Child’s work is a single series. “<em style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A series is better than a sequence of [unrelated] books in terms of building brand loyalty. There are two components of loyalty: one is the author and the second is the subject. If you like the author but you’re uncertain of the content of the next book, that’s an obstacle. It runs counter to the literary view of writing that values originality and growth. Jack Reacher is the same person in every book. He’s unemotional and focused on detail. There are lots of things that he always does that characterize who he is</em>.” It may be no coincidence then that the last two offerings from King and Grisham (Doctor Sleep and Sycamore Row, respectively) are both sequels of their most popular early novels. Grisham’s work did a good job of communicating this relationship – and sold 21% more than his last book, The Racketeer. Doctor Sleep didn’t initially communicate that it was the sequel to The Shining, and it’s sold only on par with 11/22/63, King’s last bestseller.</li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 161.65625px 15px 30px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Authenticity</span> – Child has a very unique take on what makes a novel authentic. “<em style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Authenticity is not the same thing as accuracy. I live in New York. If you know New York then some of the actual reality of [life in] New York might not seem believable to the reader who doesn’t live here.</em>” And by this, Child means that the art of narrative authenticity is culling details that are authentic from the larger pool of those that might be merely accurate.</li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 161.65625px 15px 30px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Uniqueness</span> – Corporate marketers find uniqueness in two-axis consulting charts showing them where the holes in the market exist. Child stresses something completely different. “<em style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I ignored all the other series. If you start with a laundry list of things then the book won’t be organic. Reacher is not a white knight. He lies and cheats and steals but because he’s doing it with integrity, people recognize him as a real human being.</em>”</li>
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<b style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Building an Author Brand Today</b></div>
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Child published the first Reacher book in 1997, in the early days of the Internet. While he had some early experience with online forums, he essentially withdrew from active online participation with his readers before the rise of social media. He believes that Reacher lives more effectively online without his interference.</div>
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New authors face a starkly different reality. For one thing, the number of titles available to read has grown exponentially. Readers shopping online will have more than 700,000 new books to choose from this year. That’s up fairly dramatically from the<a class="exit_trigger_set" href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidvinjamuri/2013/01/16/why-public-libraries-matter-and-how-they-can-do-more/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">11,022 books published</a> the year Stephen King turned 3. The books they’ll find online will range from Mr. King’s own <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Mercedes-Stephen-King-ebook/dp/B00GEEB52S/ref=la_B000AQ0842_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393515485&sr=1-1" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">bestsellers</a> from Scribner (Simon & Schuster) to the works of small presses and individuals. More than half the number will be <a class="exit_trigger_set" href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidvinjamuri/2013/10/04/is-publishing-still-broken-the-surprising-year-in-books/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">self-published</a>.</div>
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Codex data suggest that beyond personal recommendations, existing platform tools like blogs, Facebook, Twitter and appearances to connect with booksellers and <a class="exit_trigger_set" href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidvinjamuri/2013/01/16/why-public-libraries-matter-and-how-they-can-do-more/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">librarians</a>, there are two emerging ways for a new author to break through. The first is through price promotion, which has emerged over the past year to account for 6% of new book discovery. The largest two portals for this discovery are Amazon’s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1000677541" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Kindle Daily Deals</a>and <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/home/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">BookBub</a>; an independent e-mail list that promotes discounted books to over two million readers. Both are powerful tools, but may be inaccessible to many authors. Amazon deals are not open directly to authors and BookBub favors established titles and rejects <a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/retailing/article/60193-bookbub-closing-in-on-two-million-members.html" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">a reported 80%</a> of requests to be featured on the daily e-mail.</div>
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The second tool that now accounts for 1.4% of all book discovery is<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Goodreads</a>. Goodreads is a social network that focuses specifically on books. Amazon acquired Goodreads in the second quarter of 2013.</div>
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<b style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Building a Brand With Goodreads</b></div>
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Goodreads was launched in 2007 by Otis and Elizabeth Chandler. It allows readers to identify and review books they’ve read, and connect with other readers to discuss books. Part of the success of the site stems from a <a href="http://readwrite.com/2012/09/12/book-lovers-if-youre-not-already-on-goodreads-heres-why-you-should-be#awesm=~oxA3d89NLLpZYB" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">close integration with Facebook</a>, which allows Goodreads members to automatically post their Goodreads reviews to Facebook.</div>
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I spoke to Patrick Brown, the Director for Author Marketing at Goodreads. He gave me a brief list of best practices for authors using Goodreads:</div>
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<li style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 161.65625px 15px 30px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Cover</span> – similar to other online sites, most readers view the book cover as a thumbnail. A cover that communicates strongly at this size is key.</li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 161.65625px 15px 30px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Book Description</span> – The value proposition for the book is extremely critical on Goodreads.</li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 161.65625px 15px 30px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Social Interaction</span> – Remind your existing friends or fans to review your book on Goodreads and add it to their shelves. Put the Goodreads badge on your website to drive people to engage with your book.</li>
</ol>
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These seemed like basic points to me – what respectable publisher or author doesn’t work to produce the best cover and book description possible? Brown emphasized that incremental improvements in these areas do matter, however and he cited an internal study done last year that showed that many readers on Goodreads were attracted by the book description for <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9361589-the-night-circus" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Night Circus</a> by <a href="http://erinmorgenstern.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Erin Morgenstern</a>. So perhaps closer attention to the short description of a book pays dividends.</div>
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<a href="http://erinmorgenstern.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="" src="http://blogs-images.forbes.com/davidvinjamuri/files/2014/03/1-ba07b7651d.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle;" /></a></div>
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Goodreads doesn’t mirror the world of Bookscan sales or Amazon reviews. Most authors who sell in appreciable numbers in the physical world or on Amazon have a presence on Goodreads, whether they manage it or not. But there are outliers, whose Goodreads impact dwarfs their real-world book sales. And some of these become significant authors because of Goodreads. When I asked Brown to cite one of the most effective authors on Goodreads, he named fantasy author <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2063919.Michael_J_Sullivan" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Michael J. Sullivan</a> without hesitation. Sullivan is one of those writers who’d written a closetful of books before he was first published. He moved from publishing in a small press to self-publishing and then traditionally publishing with Hachette starting in 2011. He’s sold 475,000 books in English and has been translated into 16 other languages.<a href="http://riyria.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="Hollow World Cover 1200 x 1900" class=" size-full wp-image-1449" src="http://blogs-images.forbes.com/davidvinjamuri/files/2014/03/Hollow-World-Cover-1200-x-1900.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle;" /></a></div>
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<b style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Goodreads Secrets of the Fantasy King</b></div>
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Sullivan’s told me that he engaged with Goodreads as a reader first, rather than an author. He set aside an hour a day to engage on the site. “Goodreads was 80% of our success early on.” Sullivan joined multiple fantasy groups and avidly read and discussed the work of other authors. While he listed his own books in his signature, he was careful not to push them as a community member. But he built a solid base of friends on the network and these friends helped him grow as he published new books. He had three specific suggestions for using Goodreads:</div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Run a Giveaway</span> – Sullivan gives away advanced reader copies (ARCs) of his books on Goodreads up to 6 months before the book is available in print. This gives the books more value to contest winners who read them before the general public. “<em style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I was only giving away two copies but 2,700 people entered and I got the member names for all of them</em>,” Sullivan told me. In addition, each contest entry generated a story on that person’s activity feed on Goodreads, which became free advertising for the book.</div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Build a List</span> – In Sullivan’s world, building readers can be a one on one chore, but the numbers add up quickly. “<em style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I used to go to malls and stand in a bookstore for an event for three hours and I’d get 5 people to read my book. But then they’d write back to me and some of them would become fans and recommend my books</em>.” Goodreads makes the same process much easier.</div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Participate in The Community</span> – Sullivan stresses a central point about communities – they treat others in the community best. The secret to being promoted within a community like Goodreads is being a good citizen and participating not just as an author but as a reader. Sullivan was also one of the first authors to friend virtually every reader who gave his books positive ratings. As a result he now has over 51,000 reviews of his books on Goodreads.</div>
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It may be unknowable what separates Jack Reacher from thousands of other series as the strongest brand or which authors will find the most success in social networking. Looking beyond sales numbers to measure reader loyalty – and then systematically building that loyalty is worthwhile for publishers and authors alike.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 27px;">http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidvinjamuri/2014/03/04/the-strongest-brand-in-publishing-is/</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03209949145997932361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855076076341924396.post-88619566878744176672014-04-15T17:56:00.001-06:002014-04-24T14:09:06.254-06:00BETA READERS WANTED!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H7t1CWUb0Rc/U01OqOTuhhI/AAAAAAAAAbg/8d2coyjWiZs/s1600/betareaders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H7t1CWUb0Rc/U01OqOTuhhI/AAAAAAAAAbg/8d2coyjWiZs/s1600/betareaders.jpg" height="88" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Beta Readers Wanted!</span> My goal is to find Beta Readers in all fifty states for my new book, HOWIE & THE PRINCE OF GREED. It's a young adult fantasy that is similar in style and concept to PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS, only with Native American mythology.<br />
<br />
I've been working on HOWIE & THE PRINCE OF GREED for three years. It's gone through numerous revisions, several of which have been critiqued from beginning to end by my writing group (two published authors), and an English Professor at Colorado State University. It's also been critiqued, in part, by New York Times best seller, <a href="http://www.jennielsen.com/" target="_blank">Jennifer Nielsen</a>, and SCHOLASTIC author, <a href="http://www.kimberleygriffithslittle.com/" target="_blank">Kimberley Griffiths Little</a>. In short, the manuscript is fairly polished and won't be something you have to slug through.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>BETA READERS</b><br />
I'm looking for individuals who are willing to read the manuscript with pen in hand and unafraid of marking up pages as you go. I'm looking for a cross-section of readers in multiple age groups and with varying reading preferences. Please don't volunteer if you're simply going to read it and say "I like it" or "I didn't like it." I'm looking for detailed feedback. This is a fantastic opportunity to influence a book <i>before </i>it gets published.<br />
<br />
<b>PRIZES</b><br />
Yes, there are prizes! I wish I could do more, but this is my small way of expressing appreciation for taking time to help me. A writer is nothing without readers. I can't do this without you!<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>$25 Amazon certificate to the person who finds the most mistakes. Mistakes can be grammatical, character references (mixing up names, descriptions, etc.), or plot points. All mistakes should be noted on the manuscript in the place where they are found. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>$25 Amazon gift certificates for the top three critiques. All Beta Readers will be given a critique form to fill out. The three critiques that provide the most helpful--<i>informative</i>--details AND improve the story will win. You don't need to write a book (I've already done that). Concise statements about what works and what doesn't work and how it might be improved is all I'm looking for.</li>
</ul>
<ul><ul>
</ul>
</ul>
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<b>HOW TO SIGN UP (BETA READERS)</b><br />
1. Send an email to BenHutchinsAuthor@gmail.com with "BETA READER" in the subject and with the following information in the body:<br />
<ul>
<li>Full Name</li>
<li>Age Group (6-12, 13-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-60, Above 60)</li>
<li>Mailing Address</li>
<li>Which category best describes the type of books you most like to read (choose one)?</li>
<ul>
<li>Middle Grade (books geared toward kids 8-11)</li>
<li>Young Adult (books geared toward teenagers 12-18)</li>
<li>Adult (books geared toward adults 19 and above)</li>
<li>I don't normally read books</li>
</ul>
<li>Which genre of books do you most like to read (choose one)?</li>
<ul>
<li>Sci-fi</li>
<li>Romance</li>
<li>Mystery</li>
<li>Fantasy</li>
<li>Historical fiction</li>
<li>Realistic fiction</li>
<li>Horror</li>
<li>Non-fiction</li>
</ul>
<li>Have you been a Beta Reader before (yes or no)?</li>
<li>Do you spend more than ten hours a week writing (yes or no)?</li>
<li>Do you have Native American roots (yes or no)?</li>
<li>Are you a published author (yes or no)?</li>
<li>Are you willing to write a review of the book on Amazon or goodreads (yes or no)?</li>
<li>Are you willing to use social media--blogs, twitter, facebook, etc--to promote the book if you like it (yes or no)?</li>
</ul>
<b>SELECTION PROCESS</b><br />
As stated before, I'm looking for a cross-section of readers so please keep your answers to the questions honest. I'll give priority to those who sign up first, but will cap the number of Beta Readers in each profile segment. Either way, I will let you know. And there is a strong possibility that I will do multiple rounds with Beta Readers if I make any significant changes to the manuscript, so even if you're not chosen in this first round, you might be in a follow-up round.<br />
<br />
<b>PROCESS</b><br />
Those chosen for this first round will be mailed a copy of the manuscript with a critique form. I'm asking that you finish reading and critiquing the manuscript within three weeks and then mail it back to me in a prep-paid envelope. Then I get the fun job of combing through all your critiques to see what I'm doing well and to make improvements where needed. It goes without saying, but Beta Readers are expected to keep the manuscript confidential. No copies are to be made, digitized, or posted on the Internet. I will inform everyone when the book is available for purchase.<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03209949145997932361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855076076341924396.post-70789930413046129212014-02-27T21:15:00.001-07:002014-02-28T09:35:39.048-07:00Vince Flynn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ue0kq8NjEOA/UxCf6gKkLJI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/OG7cjuEHU1E/s1600/20130619__VinceFlynn_ConsenttoKill_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ue0kq8NjEOA/UxCf6gKkLJI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/OG7cjuEHU1E/s1600/20130619__VinceFlynn_ConsenttoKill_400.jpg" height="218" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.vinceflynn.com/" target="_blank"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.vinceflynn.com/" target="_blank">Vince Flynn</a> is one of my favorite political thriller authors. His books are packed with action and intrigue and are crafted around plausible real-world scenarios. And his protagonist, Mitch Rapp, makes it a great read.</div>
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1258175335257"></span><span id="goog_1258175335258"></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03209949145997932361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855076076341924396.post-70254436965556540932014-02-26T21:15:00.001-07:002014-02-28T09:35:52.987-07:00The Shadow Throne Book Launch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ds9tZx4B0a8/Uw62qNGoejI/AAAAAAAAAZc/umu1xexTiVY/s1600/IMG_3081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ds9tZx4B0a8/Uw62qNGoejI/AAAAAAAAAZc/umu1xexTiVY/s1600/IMG_3081.JPG" height="238" width="320" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ViVRF3N1I3M/Uw62l2wkNBI/AAAAAAAAAZU/ifyc8NoCk6Y/s1600/IMG_3084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ViVRF3N1I3M/Uw62l2wkNBI/AAAAAAAAAZU/ifyc8NoCk6Y/s1600/IMG_3084.JPG" height="148" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ViVRF3N1I3M/Uw62l2wkNBI/AAAAAAAAAZU/ifyc8NoCk6Y/s1600/IMG_3084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>
I went to <a href="http://www.jennielsen.com/" target="_blank">Jennifer Nielsen</a>'s book launch for <a href="http://www.jennielsen.com/books/ascendance-trilogy/the-shadow-throne" target="_blank">The Shadow Throne</a> yesterday at King's English book shop in SLC with about 100 other fans. She spoke about why she dedicated each of her three books to various family members. In short, writing is a huge journey and her family has been her pillar throughout the process. The funniest part of her presentation was when she read various comments from her blog depicting hyperbole at its best from fans dying (in quite descriptive ways) to get their hands on the Shadow Throne.<br />
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I brought my 15 year old daughter with me and we waited for an hour in line to get her books signed. She finished with a strong message as she showed stacks of rejection letters she's received while trying to get her first book published: never give up! Good times. And the cake was amazing.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03209949145997932361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855076076341924396.post-5164422027861151082014-02-22T12:43:00.001-07:002014-02-28T09:36:07.520-07:00ASCENDANCE TRILOGY - Favorite Book Series of 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HEheCctG5PE/Uwj-HUEwutI/AAAAAAAAAV0/Uwp8NCM1fbc/s1600/ShadowThrone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HEheCctG5PE/Uwj-HUEwutI/AAAAAAAAAV0/Uwp8NCM1fbc/s1600/ShadowThrone.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
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I haven't personally met <a href="http://www.jennielsen.com/" target="_blank">Jennifer A. Nielsen</a>, but based on the email dialogue we've had back and forth, she's a class act. She took the time to critique the first of chapter of <i>Howie and The Prince of Greed, </i>book one of my young adult fantasy series:<i> The Lackawanna Prophecies. </i>When I make it, and I will, she's been a great reminder of the kind of person I want to be. So I'm giving a shout out to <a href="http://www.jennielsen.com/" target="_blank">Jennifer Nielsen</a>, not just because she's a nice person, but because her <i>Ascendance</i> book series, starting with <i><a href="http://www.jennielsen.com/books/ascendance-trilogy/the-false-prince" target="_blank">The False Prince</a></i>, has been my favorite book series of 2013. I can't wait to get my hands on the last book, <i><a href="http://www.jennielsen.com/books/ascendance-trilogy/the-shadow-throne" target="_blank">The Shadow Throne</a>. </i>We've had it pre-ordered for months. Get yours! You won't regret it. She's got some of the best one-liner zingers throughout the series.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03209949145997932361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855076076341924396.post-56516707340092235372014-02-21T12:39:00.002-07:002014-02-26T21:19:28.232-07:00Extreme History Project<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z5hZTMg36pQ/UweqacJSASI/AAAAAAAAAVc/VrNOK7lnRI4/s1600/Crow+History.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z5hZTMg36pQ/UweqacJSASI/AAAAAAAAAVc/VrNOK7lnRI4/s1600/Crow+History.jpg" height="304" width="320" /></a></div>
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I've been doing a lot of research on Native American History, especially regarding the Lenape Nation, for my new book series, <i>The Lackawanna Prophecies. </i>So when I came across this project to <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/extremehistory/sharing-their-stories-documenting-crow-oral-histor?ref=email" target="_blank">document Crow oral histories</a> on KickStarter, I had to help out. I'm excited to see that the project was successfully funded. The image depicts Crow Chiefs at Fork Parker, the first Crow Agency, 1871.<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="480" scrolling="no" src="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/extremehistory/sharing-their-stories-documenting-crow-oral-histor/widget/video.html" width="640"> </iframe>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03209949145997932361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855076076341924396.post-40912867220103024202014-02-21T10:17:00.000-07:002014-02-28T09:36:20.557-07:00New Book Cover - Kimberly Griffiths LIttle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oUOt4m-FKwE/UweIdM83D5I/AAAAAAAAAVI/6AdaCbXmsFw/s1600/Forbidden+Cover+Final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oUOt4m-FKwE/UweIdM83D5I/AAAAAAAAAVI/6AdaCbXmsFw/s1600/Forbidden+Cover+Final.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.kimberleygriffithslittle.com/" target="_blank">Kimberley Griffiths Little</a> new book cover is out. I've had the opportunity to meet her on several occasions including at a publishing primer workshop she instructed for a small group of aspiring authors. She is both talented and caring, and I wish her the best of luck with her latest book!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03209949145997932361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855076076341924396.post-82188429789325771682014-02-21T10:11:00.001-07:002014-02-28T09:36:37.359-07:00FORBIDDEN book trailer by Kimberley Griffiths Little<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/P7JvgYE5MhA" width="480"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03209949145997932361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855076076341924396.post-35307592647905797772014-02-20T15:02:00.001-07:002014-02-26T21:21:15.430-07:00How to Write a Great Synopsis<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WididmMwjj4/UwZ9ugSexxI/AAAAAAAAAU4/ofFtRavyyCM/s1600/ElanaJohnsonBW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WididmMwjj4/UwZ9ugSexxI/AAAAAAAAAU4/ofFtRavyyCM/s1600/ElanaJohnsonBW.jpg" height="200" width="135" /></a> </div>
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I<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 1.5;"> read
this today and figured Elana wouldn't be too mad with me sharing it. She did,
after all, publicly humiliate me in a query writing class she taught. Not to
worry, I was a willing participant and deserved the critique I got. And it's
good publicity for her.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The
word </span><i><span style="color: #993300; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">synopsis</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> brings almost any writer to his or
her knees. What does the agent or editor want, exactly? A few simple tips can
take the mystery—and the pain—out of writing a synopsis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">It’s
really hard to think of your creative work in a business sense—but that’s all a
synopsis is. It’s a business summary of your work. That’s the first thing to
remember: A synopsis is not a creative endeavor. It’s a straightforward
explanation of what happens in your novel (go <a href="http://www.eschlerediting.com/do-i-have-a-proposal-for-you/" target="_blank" title="How to Write a Book Proposal"><span style="color: #a03231;">here</span></a> to read about the <i>nonfiction</i>
equivalent—book proposals).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">With
that in mind, just buckle down and write. Some agents don’t specify how long
they want a synopsis to be, but the most common lengths are one to three pages.
A one-page synopsis should be 500 words; a two-page synopsis, 1,000 words; and
a three-page synopsis, 1,500 words.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">A
synopsis has its own unique format. Follow these guidelines:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 26.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 26.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt;">§<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Put contact information,
page numbers, and project title in the header/footer</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 26.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt;">§<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Put the project title in
ALL CAPS on the first line<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 26.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt;">§<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Return twice and begin
the synopsis<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 26.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt;">§<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Put character names in
ALL CAPS on first reference<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 26.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt;">§<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Use block-style
paragraphs (in other words, don’t indent)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 26.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt;">§<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Use a hard return
between paragraphs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Here’s
an example:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<img src="http://www.eschlerediting.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/SynopisisExample.jpg" /></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Narrow
your focus to two things: character and plot. Then structure your synopsis
around the following ten things:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 26.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 26.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Setup for main character</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 26.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Inciting event—introduce the main conflict<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 26.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Main character’s debate—state the consequences<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 26.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">4.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Introduce secondary characters that matter (some don’t!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 26.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">5.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">End of Act One—turning point<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 26.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">6.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Midpoint moment<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 26.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">7.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Scene that raises the stakes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 26.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">8.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Villain and hero come face-to-face<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 26.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">9.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Main conflict solved<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 26.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">10.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Resolution<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">To
begin, use those ten elements to write the entire synopsis without worrying
about word count. You can always delete things later. Things you <i>think</i>
are important at first might not be; you’re simply trying to tell what happens
in the story. Remember: the synopsis <i>should </i> reveal how
the book ends, something that you <i>don’t</i> do in a <a href="http://www.eschlerediting.com/writing-a-killer-query-letter/" target="_blank" title="writing a killer query"><span style="color: #a03231;">query letter</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Below
is a sample synopsis:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #993300; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div align="center" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #993300; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Synopsis for How to Train Your Dragon, Using the 10 Items Above</span></b></div>
<div align="center" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">This
synopsis is 689 words and is less than 1.5 pages.</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">1.
Setup for main character</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">HICCUP
lives in the Viking village of Berk, which is attacked by dragons that steal
food and set things on fire. The villagers—who are led by Hiccup’s father,
STOICK—fight the dragons off. Hiccup hauls out a bolas-shooting cannon and
shoots a dragon out of the night sky.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">2.
Inciting event—introduce the main conflict (Hiccup can’t make himself kill the
dragon)</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The
dragon lands in the woods near the village, and no one believes that Hiccup hit
anything. The next day, Hiccup goes looking for the dragon. It turns out to be
a rare and deadly Night Fury, but Hiccup can’t make himself kill it. Instead he
releases it, and it spares him before flying off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">3. Main
character’s debate</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Hiccup
finds the dragon, which he names TOOTHLESS, holed up in a valley because it’s
been injured and can’t fly. He keeps his new dragon a secret, and while
sketching it, Hiccup realizes that it’s missing a tail fin. After much trial
and error, Hiccup builds and perfects a saddle, a control mechanism for the
tail fin, and a safety harness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">4.
Introduce secondary characters that matter</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Meanwhile,
Hiccup’s father has signed him up for dragon training with GOBBER—Hiccup’s
blacksmith master—which is very different from the training he’s already doing
with Toothless. He must learn to do what all Vikings do: Fight and kill
dragons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">At
first, he’s the worst student in the class. Since Hiccup has always been an
accident-prone klutz, this comes as no surprise to his classmates, especially
ASTRID, the girl Hiccup has a crush on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">5. End
of Act One (turning point)</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Before
long, Hiccup is able to use the things he’s learned while working with
Toothless to soothe the school’s practice dragons. It turns out dragons are
just big softies: they like to be petted, they like to roll in the grass, and
they love fish (but hate eels).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">6.
Midpoint moment</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">When
Stoick returns from a failed search for the fabled nest of the dragons, he’s
surprised and thrilled to hear that his son is doing well at dragon training.
But Hiccup can’t explain that his success at dragon school came from the most
unlikely place—his pet dragon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">7.
Stakes-raising scene</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">When
Hiccup subdues a practice dragon, unintentionally earning the privilege of
killing it before the entire village, he’s horrified and decides to flee with
Toothless. However, Astrid follows him and discovers Toothless. Hiccup takes
her flying, and they get caught up in a flock of dragons. The dragons fly
inside a mountainous island and drop food into a pit, which turns out to
contain a huge, terrifying, and very hungry dragon—they’ve found the nest
Hiccup’s father was looking for.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">When
they get home, Hiccup convinces Astrid not to reveal the location of the dragon
nest. Before she goes, she punches him in the arm for kidnapping her. Then she
kisses him for everything else that happened.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">8.
Villain (dragons) and hero (Hiccup) come face-to-face</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">At the
dragon-killing ceremony, Hiccup discards his weapons in an attempt to show the
Vikings that dragons only fight to defend themselves, but his father
intervenes, and the dragon attacks. Toothless comes to Hiccup’s rescue and is
on the verge of killing Stoick when Hiccup calls Toothless off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">9. Main
conflict solved</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Despite
Hiccup’s protests, Stoick resolves to use Toothless to find the nest again. He
loads a chained Toothless on his ship, and the Viking fleet sails off with the
village warriors, leaving Hiccup behind. He and Astrid and their other
classmates mount the practice dragons and fly in pursuit of the fleet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">At the
dragons’ island, Stoick releases the giant dragon and realizes that he’s made a
mistake. While Stoick and Gobber prepare to sacrifice themselves to distract
the dragon, Hiccup arrives to join the battle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Toothless
and Hiccup go after the giant dragon, drawing it up into the clouds and away
from the Vikings, where Toothless releases a blast into the giant dragon’s open
mouth and it crashes and burns. Hiccup falls, and Toothless catches him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">10.
Resolution</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Back at
home, Hiccup and Toothless go out into the village, which is full of swooping,
frolicking dragons; the Vikings now treat them as pets. Astrid greets Hiccup
with a kiss. Supplied by Gobber with a new tail fin prosthetic and saddle for
Toothless, Hiccup takes flight with Astrid and his friends as he celebrates the
new alliance of Vikings and Dragons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h3 style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"><br /></span></h3>
<h3 style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Do This Now<o:p></o:p></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 26.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Write one paragraph—or, for a real challenge, only one
sentence!—for each of the numbered items above. Just doing that might give you
the short two-page synopsis you’re looking for. And if not, cut and trim, trim
and cut until you’ve got it down to a manageable size.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 26.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Now that you’ve written the synopsis, comb through it. Eliminate
everything that isn’t absolutely crucial to the momentum of the story. Don’t be
afraid to delete or to combine some things to create a shorter synopsis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 26.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Give your synopsis to your writing partners so they can help
you. Best is to ask someone who has <i>not</i> read your book to <a href="http://www.eschlerediting.com/about/employment-and-collaborative-opportunities/author-manuscripts/queries-proposals/" target="_blank" title="synopses edit"><span style="color: #a03231;">edit</span></a> your synopsis; with an eye for
unnecessary details, he or she can help you cut your synopsis down to size.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #993300; font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="http://www.eschlerediting.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/ElanaJohnsonBW.jpg" style="color: #a03231;"><img alt="Elana Johnson" class=" wp-image-2775 alignleft" src="http://www.eschlerediting.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/ElanaJohnsonBW.jpg" height="146" style="border: none; display: inline; float: left; height: auto; margin: 0px 20px 20px 0px; max-width: 100%;" width="98" /></a>Elana Johnson’s work, including </i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1442421266/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1442421266&linkCode=as2&tag=eschlediti-20" style="color: #a03231;" target="_blank">Possession</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=eschlediti-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1442421266" height="1" style="border: none !important; height: auto; margin: 0px !important; max-width: 100%;" width="1" />, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1442445696/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1442445696&linkCode=as2&tag=eschlediti-20" style="color: #a03231;" target="_blank">Surrender</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=eschlediti-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1442445696" height="1" style="border: none !important; height: auto; margin: 0px !important; max-width: 100%;" width="1" />, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1442484810/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1442484810&linkCode=as2&tag=eschlediti-20" style="color: #a03231;" target="_blank">Abandon</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=eschlediti-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1442484810" height="1" style="border: none !important; height: auto; margin: 0px !important; max-width: 100%;" width="1" />,<i> and </i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007OVSNDO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007OVSNDO&linkCode=as2&tag=eschlediti-20" style="color: #a03231;" target="_blank">Regret</a><i><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=eschlediti-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B007OVSNDO" height="1" style="border: none !important; height: auto; margin: 0px !important; max-width: 100%;" width="1" /> is available now everywhere books are sold. Her popular e-book, </i>From the Query to the Call,<i> is also available for <a href="http://www.docstoc.com/docs/123185124/From-the-Query-to-the-Call-by-Elana-Johnson" style="color: #a03231;" target="_blank">download</a>, as well as a </i>Possession<i> short story, “<a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/106783" style="color: #a03231;"><span style="color: #993300;">Resist</span></a>.” School teacher by day, query ninja by night, you can find her online at her <a href="http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/" style="color: #a03231;" target="_blank">personal blog</a> or <a href="http://twitter.com/elanaj/" style="color: #a03231;" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. She also cofounded the<a href="http://querytracker.blogspot.com/" style="color: #a03231;" target="_blank">QueryTracker blog</a>, <a href="http://writeoncon.com/" style="color: #a03231;" target="_blank">WriteOnCon</a>, and contributes to the <a href="http://leaguewriters.blogspot.com/" style="color: #a03231;" target="_blank">League of Extraordinary Writers</a>.</i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03209949145997932361noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855076076341924396.post-39478795061225821872013-12-17T19:15:00.000-07:002013-12-17T19:15:18.107-07:00Associate Editor Position Available - Deseret Book<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2830341.Lisa_Mangum/blog" target="_blank">Lisa Mangum's</a> Associate Editor position at Deseret Book is now available. She's moved on to another position. It's the kind of job I'd love to tackle if I weren't the sole bread winner in my family. Alas, I'll have to dream--at least until I make it big, right?<br />
<br />
The pay range should be somewhere around 30-35k a year.<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03209949145997932361noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855076076341924396.post-77374880438588835172012-08-03T14:06:00.001-06:002014-02-28T09:36:51.641-07:00The Window Builder - Coming Oct 9th!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is the moment every aspiring author, including me, dreams of. Their first published novel. I couldn't be happier than to see it happen to <a href="http://blog.hoosejohnson.com/" target="_blank">Kelly Hoose Johnson</a>. She has been a member of my writing group for two years now, and she has serious talent. </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A number of months ago, <a href="http://mrbunderson.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Marilyn Bunderson</a> (another published member of our writing group) informed us of a short story writing contest by Cedar Fort. Kelly entered and while her story wasn't chosen to be included in an anthology of short Christmas stories, something even better happened. Cedar Fort decided to publish it as a stand-alone short story. Her book is now available on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Window-Builder-Kelly-Hoose-Johnson/dp/1462111130/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1344023267&sr=8-4&keywords=the+window+builder" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a> for pre-order. I've ordered mine--have you?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Window-Builder-Kelly-Hoose-Johnson/dp/1462111130/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1344023267&sr=8-4&keywords=the+window+builder" target="_blank">The Window Builder</a> has all the trappings of a Hallmark holiday movie special. You won't be disappointed. Congratulations Kelly! And I have to say . . . I LOVE the cover.
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Window-Builder-Kelly-Hoose-Johnson/dp/1462111130/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1344023267&sr=8-4&keywords=the+window+builder" target="_blank"><img alt="The Window Builder" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AXDgM3pnzVE/UBwrTXEy4_I/AAAAAAAAANo/FOhcDDPITks/s320/window+builder+cover.jpg" height="320" title="The Window Builder" width="320" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03209949145997932361noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855076076341924396.post-274959447461059552011-06-21T13:21:00.001-06:002014-04-15T17:59:05.770-06:00You Are Going To Die<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ab2mdO71Zn0/TgDuzg9G7vI/AAAAAAAAAMc/-vO0ULNJX8A/s1600/speckoflight.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mykch77oVtE/UxAF4JMAFXI/AAAAAAAAAZs/j6nt4nMXYcA/s1600/star.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mykch77oVtE/UxAF4JMAFXI/AAAAAAAAAZs/j6nt4nMXYcA/s1600/star.jpg" /></a></div>
<strong><br /></strong>
<strong>* * * HERE IS A SMALL FACT * * *</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>You are going to die.</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
This is one of the opening quotes in The Book Thief (by Markus Zusak). The personification of death makes the book worth reading on its own. I am especially intrigued with this book because death is a central theme in the young adult novel I am writing, <i>The </i><em>Lackawanna Prophecies--Howie and The Prince of Greed</em>.</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
I read an article about the life of Walter Breuning, interviewed at the ripe age of 114, and not to long before he died. This is my favorite quote from him: "We're going to die. Some people are scared of dying. Never be afraid to die. Because you're born to die."</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Perhaps easier said than done, but at 114 years of age or those suffering great mortal pain, death comes as a relief. I experienced this in a personal way during the worst part of my recovery from a severe concussion. I was trapped in my own mind because any form of communication made me sick. For several days I couldn't watch TV, talk to my wife or kids, or even listen to music. It was just me in the dark--sunglasses-on-shades-drawn-lights-out kind of dark. I even had ear protectors to block out as much sound as possible. If that condition had been months and years instead of a couple of weeks, I would have welcomed death if and when it came.<br />
<br />
I hope kids who read my novel will think differently about death, that it doesn't have to be this scary or horrible thing, especially in the natural course of life. Death can be beautiful and merciful. Billions and billions of people have experienced it, and some have lived to tell the tale. There's nothing wrong with being afraid of the unknown, but death is not the evil monster society and media often portray it to be. That classification belongs entirely to people who perpetuate it's untimely role.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
So . . . getting back to my book, a possible hook might go something like this:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>In a world where no one can escape death, some are chosen to experience it again and again. </strong></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>* * * DON'T BE AFRAID * * *</strong></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03209949145997932361noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855076076341924396.post-77229438728887176122011-05-20T15:36:00.001-06:002014-04-15T18:12:55.403-06:00Dusting Off The Cobwebs<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mqmUx_6H_yA/Tdbel7twt9I/AAAAAAAAAME/aYg4ZJNxC50/s1600/cobwebs6.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mqmUx_6H_yA/Tdbel7twt9I/AAAAAAAAAME/aYg4ZJNxC50/s200/cobwebs6.gif" height="149" j8="true" width="200" /></a></div>
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Life interrupted. That's how I've felt over the past six months. Last November I suffered a serious concussion playing basketball. The referee didn't even call a foul. Where's the justice? The body blow to my head sloshed my brain enough to make it near impossible for me to function on a cognitive level. It was like someone had kicked up all the dirty scum from the bottom of the pond and it sort of hung around for months, clearing up just enough every once in a while for me to <i>think</i> I was getting back to normal.</div>
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<strong>Man down.</strong><br />
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Yes, that's how it was. Locked in the tower of my home for 2 weeks before I could even handle something as basic as a quiet and brief conversation. Phone, TV, my children . . . it was all more than I could handle. Everything made me sick. It was almost three months before I even dared venture back to the office for work. My brain got saturated so fast, that I couldn't handle anything that required serious thought for more than a few minutes at a time.<br />
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<strong>Don't make me cry.</strong><br />
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Okay, I finally get it. Women don't have to have a reason to cry. Cry all you want. I did. The first four months of my recovery were filled with random moments of pure emotion that spilled out my eyes, sometimes for no reason at all. I was starting to wonder if someone had slipped me a heavy dose of estrogen during one of my hospital visits. Thankfully, order seems to have been restored in that department.<br />
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<strong>Will I ever be normal again?</strong><br />
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Who knows. What's normal? I'm working 40 hours a week now and have been for two months, but I'm only in the office 3-4 days a week. I'm trying to bump that up to 4-5 days a week. I still get dizzy every day and nausea seems to be my new best friend. I've been wearing sea band bracelets, but I have no idea if they're really helping. I've also been wearing a Halter monitor for two weeks to figure out why my heart's skipping beats every time my pulse goes up--as in walk-up-a-flight-of-stairs up. My energy/strength levels have only recovered to about 70-80%, sometimes a little less depending on the day. And the brain drains are still happening. Doesn't that sound like fun? It's a weird way to describe it, but that's what it feels like when it happens: like my brain is draining out the back of my head. When that happens, I get sick pretty fast. I was in the ER three times two weeks ago when it first started happening. The whole unknown thing can be kind of scary. All tests revealed nothing. Hey, I guess I'm normal.<br />
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<strong>It's all in my head.</strong><br />
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Yes, that is what I'm coming to believe. I'm pretty sure I've been having some serious anxiety attacks--classic post concussion syndrome stuff.The muddy waters are still settling. I think I'm still cognitively bumping into logs or rocks as I swim through the foggy haze of my brain. The good news is that most of my life activities have returned to a <em>new </em>normal. I'm working. I'm writing. I'm throwing ball with my boys. I even started a major remodeling job on my home. I know, probably not the smartest thing, but there's no going back on that one--not after sawing through two walls and ripping out two door frames.<br />
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<strong>Dusting off the cobwebs</strong><br />
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So alas, here we are again, not that anyone is reading because I've been gone for months. Hey, I know, you can only wait around so long. But I'm back. And I've resumed the re-write of my novel, <i>The Lackawanna Prophecies--Howie and The Prince of Greed</i>. I'm working on chapter 18 with about ten more chapters to go. I was supposed to be done in January. Perhaps I will be--next January. I'm just grateful to be writing. I hope you are too.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03209949145997932361noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855076076341924396.post-58564827337763129512010-09-30T09:33:00.003-06:002014-02-27T21:00:58.798-07:00The "Right" Word<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pjppx7qSR3Q/TKSrvZtwcxI/AAAAAAAAALA/1ZZZL8y_9xE/s1600/Lightning1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pjppx7qSR3Q/TKSrvZtwcxI/AAAAAAAAALA/1ZZZL8y_9xE/s200/Lightning1.jpg" height="200" px="true" width="141" /></a></div>
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Mark Twain said, "The difference between the right word and almost the right word is the difference between lightening and a lightning bug."</div>
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When you're stuck, how do you find that <em>right </em>word? I often find myself checking MS Word's synonym checker, but those only go so far. What other resources does your inner "word freak" tap into? I'd love to know!</div>
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One <em>right </em>word that struck home for me the other day was in <i><a href="http://kathrynstockett.com/books/the-help/synopsis/" target="_blank">The Help</a></i>, by <a href="http://kathrynstockett.com/" target="_blank">Kathryn Stockett</a>. How often do we read about being short of breath in scary or threatening situations? She put a unique twist on it for me that struck home in a powerful way:</div>
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" . . . my breath slipped out of me . . ."<br />
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Simple, effective and memorable, it was the right word in the right context. Lightning.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03209949145997932361noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855076076341924396.post-59010904589639015302010-09-17T09:24:00.000-06:002014-02-27T21:05:18.339-07:00Inspiration<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pjppx7qSR3Q/TJOEyBODOzI/AAAAAAAAAKY/hVo5dJM7Ujk/s1600/Rainbow+Bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pjppx7qSR3Q/TJOEyBODOzI/AAAAAAAAAKY/hVo5dJM7Ujk/s400/Rainbow+Bridge.jpg" height="298" qx="true" width="400" /></a></div>
As much as I love writing, sometimes I just need to be inspired. Spending last week at Lake Powell with my wife and friends did that for me.<br />
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One of the highlights of our trip was visiting Rainbow Bridge, the largest natural bridge in the world. There's something magical about the awe and grandeur of nature. Getting away, and especially to a place like this, rejuvenates me in a way that nothing else can. I felt twenty again (don't I look it?). <br />
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The creative juices are flowing again.What gets you going when you're fingers are plodding instead of flying across the keyboard?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03209949145997932361noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855076076341924396.post-6755304707352125442010-07-09T20:22:00.002-06:002014-02-27T21:08:11.637-07:00LIE versus LAYOkay, I'll admit. I just havn't been into the blogging thing lately. I've been too engrossed in working on my manuscript. But it's good to stick my head out from under the covers every once in a while. Here's a helpful grammar tip from <a href="http://www.annettelyon.com/" target="_blank">Annette Lyon</a>. Hope your enjoying the summer!<br />
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<strong>LIE versus LAY</strong><br />
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1. PAST TENSE: Sometimes memorization is just best<br />
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<li>She lay down on her sofa to read. </li>
<li>She laid the book on the table, I swear.</li>
<li>She was lying on the carpet when it happened.</li>
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2. PRESENT TENSE: Remember that the gerund form (WAS –ING) uses present tense.</div>
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<li> She was laying down on her sofa to take a nap when the house exploded.</li>
<li> She was lying on the carpet when it happened.</li>
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TIP: Use an irregular verb like EAT/ATE to figure out which tense you need.<br />
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<li>She was ating on the floor (no, so it couldn't be <em>laying</em>)</li>
<li>She was <em>eating</em> on the floor (yes, so she was <em>lying</em> on the floor)</li>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03209949145997932361noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855076076341924396.post-51066855036773496002010-06-14T10:35:00.001-06:002010-06-14T10:35:38.777-06:00Thirteen Reasons Why<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pjppx7qSR3Q/TBZSe-DCYkI/AAAAAAAAAJo/WGG-sgSimR4/s1600/13rw_wp_800x600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" qu="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pjppx7qSR3Q/TBZSe-DCYkI/AAAAAAAAAJo/WGG-sgSimR4/s200/13rw_wp_800x600.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>My eight year old nephew and namesake passed away, and I spent this past weekend in Boston for the funeral. It's only the fourth funeral that I've attended, and the first one that I've been asked to speak at. <br />
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While Benjamin died peacefully in his sleep, his body tired from the wearing handicaps he had been born with, it was still a stark reminder of the fragility of life. <br />
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I did not purposefully time the reading of Jay's first novel, <a href="http://www.thirteenreasonswhy.com/"><em>Thirteen Reasons Why</em></a><em>, </em>with the events of this past weekend, but I'm glad it worked out that way. Jay's haunting story ends with hope and a desire to be the type of person who would be celebrated rather than grieved at their passing. Life is a gift, and Benjamin's short life was a blessing to many--more than 500 people who showed up to say, "Thank you." <br />
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This is a book I will ask my kids to read before they start high school, to realize how <em>everything</em> we do impacts someone, even if only ourselves. But most likely--always--there are others that we don't know about. Aren't we lucky that we get to choose how?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03209949145997932361noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855076076341924396.post-12133424742818789152010-05-26T23:29:00.001-06:002014-02-28T09:37:16.761-07:00Story Structure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I attended a fantastic presentation by <a href="http://www.fearfulsymmetry.net/">Dan Wells</a>, at a writers conference back in February on story structure. </div>
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If you 're great at characterization, but struggle at weaving a compelling storyline together, this should be helpful. He refers to it as <strong>The Seven Point System</strong>. Before you start putting this structure together, you at least need to know who the main characters are, what the setting is, and what the major conflict is. Once you have those, start plugging in the rest as follows:</div>
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<strong>1. Hook</strong></div>
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<strong>2. Plot Turn 1</strong></div>
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<strong>3. Pinch 1</strong></div>
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<strong>4. Midpoint</strong></div>
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<strong>5. Pinch 2</strong></div>
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<strong>6. Plot Turn 2</strong></div>
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<strong>7. Resolution</strong></div>
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Of course there can be several more pinches added, or even plot turns, but this is the basic structure--and it works. Sometimes it helps to start backwards.<br />
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<strong>The Resolution.</strong> Everything in your story should be leading up to this moment. What is your protagonist trying to overcome? Is it an external thing, force, etc, an internal thing, perhaps a combination of both?</div>
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<strong>The Hook. </strong>What is the hook that will grab your readers on page 1 or at the very least in chapter one and keep them turning the pages? Sometimes you have to use the ice-monster approach (think Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back where the movie begins with Luke being attacked by an ice-monster). Starting your novel with a lot of boring background / back story information is a big no, no - - especially if you're trying to get published for the first time. Dive right into the story and sink a hook into their reader that they can't escape from.</div>
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<strong>The midpoint</strong> is that magical place in your story where your protagonist finally begins to move from a reactionary state to one of action and determination (think Lord of the Rings and the Council of Elrond - when they finally decide what to do with the ring). It doesn't mean conflict and turmoil is over, it just means they're finally starting that journey towards resolution.</div>
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<strong>Plot Turn 1</strong>, is what moves you from the beginning to the midpoint. Major conflict is introduced, the protagonist’s world changes, etc. (think about Luke coming back and finding his Uncle dead or Harry Potter learning that a world of magic exists and he's a part of it)</div>
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<strong>Plot Turn 2</strong>, (can you guess?) moves the story from midpoint to resolution--where your protagonist receives that final thing needed to make it happen (think Neo, "The Power is in you!" or Dorothy in Wizard of Oz when she realizes all she has to do is click her heels or Luke: "Use the force Luke!")</div>
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<strong>Pinch 1</strong>, is where conflict is introduced--and the pressure is applied to your protagonist. Could be a bad guy attacks, a sickness, a death, etc--something that forces your character to action (think Harry Potter - when they discover a troll in the bathroom and no adults are around to help).</div>
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<strong>Pinch 2</strong>, apply more pressure until the situation feels hopeless--like there is no way to escape, at least until you get to plot turn 2-- starting to make sense? (think about when Gandalf appears to have been killed by the fiery demon from hell)</div>
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This structure can be used for the Hero's journey, romance, tragedy, etc. - - don't feel constrained by genre. As you work through this, make sure your protagonist goes through the try/fail cycles (at least twice). This can be done through multiple pinches where it doesn't always work out in the protagonist's favor. Victory should always be earned - - keep building the overall tension to the resolution with a few small victories along the way. Spread out the action to keep good pacing (your beta readers can help you with that).</div>
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Last of all, remember, this is a structure and is not a replacement for good writing. It helps if you take this and break down an existing book/movie as an example. Give it a try with Avatar and see what you come up with. The format works on just about any well written novel/script.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03209949145997932361noreply@blogger.com8