My Writing Process: Draft Zero to Done by Suzanne Johnson

January 16, 2012 Roni Loren

It's guest Monday time and today author Suzanne Johnson lets us in on her writing process. I always find it fascinating to hear how other people work. It's amazing how there are so many different paths to get to a finished novel. I hope you find it fascinating as well.

BLOG TOUR ALERT: And coincidentally, today I'm talking about My Crazy Writing Process at the Wytch's Mirror. Guess Suzanne and I had the same thing on our minds, lol.

Also, I'm at the Writerspace blog talking about people's perceptions of me: The Girl Next Door Writes Erotic Romance

Take it away, Suzanne....

My Writing Process: Draft Zero to Done

by Suzanne Johnson

I’ve been going through an online “revise your novel in 30 days” type of course because I have a novel that needs revising, and, well, I’m a bit of a workshop slut. (Is there a twelve-step program for that?)

In the beginning days of the workshop, the participants all shared our novel-writing processes. Some had completed multiple novels and had a system well in place; others were still looking for the process that would work for them. What’s fascinating is that, at the end of all these different ways of doing things, a novel came out the other end. Well, usually.

I’ve shifted in the past six months from my beginning process, which was a) write book in however long it takes to write and revise it; b) send book to agent; c) work on something else while manuscript is shopped around. It turns out, that’s a leisurely way to work.

Now that I have books under contract, the pace has changed. There are hard *gulp* deadlines when new manuscripts are due—manuscripts that are no more than a twinkle of an idea in my head. Suddenly, the day job seems more onerous. The annoying little household things—you know, like buying groceries and feeding my pets and paying bills—seem to take up too much time. I’ve had to develop a new process.

So, here’s the process I’ve used on the last two manuscripts, and will use on the next one, which is due May 15 and is still in that “brain-twinkle” form. I don’t throw this out there because it’s a “right” way to do it, or even that it will work for anyone else—just that it gives me a chance to ask you as writers what your process looks like!

So...INITIAL IDEA is something that usually starts bouncing around in my head while I'm driving or doing something not writing-related. I brainstorm on it a while before anything hits paper (or computer screen). I tend to start with a "big idea" and then build the characters around it. I don’t consider this part of my 90-day-to-novel process since nothing’s written down at this stage.

OUTLINE...I spend from one to two weeks working on what I call a plot arc, a detailed outline that averages about 10,000 words. I don't' work out scene specifics, but by the time the plot arc is done, I know what scene falls where, where the book will start, where it will end, what the high-level action points are, about how many chapters I'm going to have, and what the relationship arcs for each character look like against the action arc.

DRAFT ZERO...I do a down-and-dirty draft, start to finish, using my outline as a guide but improvising as things come to me (updating the outline as I go). I call it “draft zero” because it’s so bad it doesn’t even deserve to be called a first draft. Nobody, but nobody, sees this one except me. When I sit down to write, I read over the last two or three paragraphs from the previous day, but no more. I don't do descriptions, setting, or worry about word choice--I'm strictly working on plot and pace. I don't stop to look up words or names of things. When it’s done, my Draft Zero usually runs about 75,000-80,000 words long. My strong suit is grammar/punctuation so that part of it's going to be pretty clean even in DRAFT ZERO stage. It takes from eight-to-ten weeks for me to draft since I work full-time and have freelance obligations that can’t be shirked.

FIRST DRAFT...I take a week to do a thorough front-to-back read. I smooth over rough spots. I add description and dialogue according to a set of questions (i.e., is the character dressed? are there sensory inputs? can the scene be amped up?). By the end of this stage, I should have the manuscript at or near my contract-required 90,000 words. If not, I need to brainstorm ways to add or expand scenes.

At this stage, if I'm on an accelerated deadline, I send the manuscript to beta readers. While they read, I polish. I look at word choice, sentence structure, rhythm, pace. I consider/incorporate suggestions or ideas as they come in from betas. My poor betas have to read quickly, I’m afraid.

FINAL POLISH. I do a final pass, reading aloud when possible, to tinker with anything that doesn't ring true to my characters or story. And off it goes.

Whew, I’m exhausted. But that’s my pace to produce a couple or three books a year while holding down the full-time EDJ (evil day job). What does your process look like? (Yes, I’m looking to steal ideas!)

Suzanne Johnson is an author of urban fantasy “with romantic elements.” Her first book, Royal Street, a magic-based fantasy set in New Orleans at the time of Hurricane Katrina, will be released by Tor Books on April 10, 2012. Two more in the series will be released in Fall 2012 and Spring 2013. Find Suzanne online at her Preternatura blog, or read about her books at her website.

*Look for more from Suzanne here every 3rd Monday of the month!

"Hot and romantic, with an edge of suspense that will keep you entertained.” --Shayla Black, New York Times Bestselling author of SURRENDER TO ME

CRASH INTO YOU is now available!

Read an excerpt here.

All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren 2009-2012 |Copyright Statement|

Creating a Story Bible by Suzanne Johnson

December 19, 2011 Roni Loren

First, a quick announcement: my CRASH INTO YOU blog tour has started! So if you're interested in following along here are my first two posts:

Why I Went Traditional and 7 Reasons Why You Should (or Shouldn't) at Anne R. Allen's Blog

Why Do All the Romance Heroes Have Six-Packs? at Kat Latham's blog

***

It's guest Monday and today author Suzanne Johnson is something that *I* need to listen to. Even though I don't write a supernatural world, my series takes place around and at a place called The Ranch, which is a BDSM retreat with its own intricate rules and procedures. I find as I'm writing book 3, I keep forgetting what standards I set up in book one. Plus, all my characters are connected in some way so I need to keep track of that. And don't even get me started on minor characters' names. *headdesk* Hopefully this post can help me get things straight. : )

Take it away, Suzanne...

Creatinga Story Bible

by Suzanne Johnson

Filethis post under “Lessons Learned the Hard Way.”

When Istarted writing my first novel in the winter of 2008 and spring of 2009, I wasjust amusing myself, really. It was an exercise to try and rid myself ofpost-traumatic stress left over from Hurricane Katrina and severe homesicknessfor New Orleans, which I’d recently moved away from after almost fifteen years.

To condensea long, boring story, after a journalism career during which I pronouncedseveral times that I had no ability or interest in writing fiction, I got thebug. Never say never. In July came the agent, and in the fall came the firstcontract. By that time, I’d finished with the second book, which also sold.

So, hereI am at book three, and I’m almost three years older, if not wiser. And I findmyself thinking: Wait, did (heroine) DJ use spellcast rubies or emeralds in thefirst book when she did the transport charm? What was that wizard’s name shemet briefly at the morgue? What were the words she used when she summoned theundead Marie Laveau from the Beyond? Did she have to put blood on her summoningcircle, or just place candles around it? What color were the candles?

Lookingup all that stuff, I realized, was going to take for-evah. So I did something I should have done three years ago:started creating a Story Bible. Or, more accurately, hired a former studentintern to read Royal Street and River Road and make a Story Bible forme.

Ifyou’re not writing a paranormal, a few of these areas won’t apply, but here arethe things I asked my intern to make note of. A lot of them will apply to anynovel.

--Each character, along with aphysical description, physical quirks, specific words used in description(i.e., “eyes the color of dark chocolate”), likes/dislikes, family members,hometowns, type of species (wizard, shapeshifter, etc.), cars they drive, nicknames,and in which book/scene they first appear.

--Specific places mentioned:restaurant names, what they eat, places they have meetings, location of homesand offices. Physical layout/décor descriptions of places (i.e., layout of DJ’shouse, layout of Napoleon House restaurant/bar, layout of Green Gator bar).

--Species traits. Quirks/abilities of species: wizards,varmpires, elves, fae, water species (merpeople, nymphs, naiads),shapeshifters, were-critters besides loup-garou, loup-garou, historical undeadand difference between them and zombies, ghouls and ghosts.

--Worldbuilding. Magical hierarchy and skills/duties.

--Magic. Charms and potions DJ uses, and what she does/whatingredients she uses. Book and MSS page number where used.

Once my new StoryBible for the Sentinels of New Orleans series is complete, I’ll go in andinsert photos of places, diagrams of house layouts and places—even charactersif I’ve based them physically on an actor or actress.

So now,as I write Elysian Fields, to avoidstopping and looking up stuff from previous books, I’m plugging in the wordALBATROSS for every hole. That way, I don’t get slowed down in my first draft.Then, on second draft, I’ll do a search for ALBATROSS and fill in the holesusing my handy-dandy Story Bible (Sarah—finish that thing!).

Anexample:

“It was a good sign. I’d metALBATROSS during a harebrained foray to the temporary morgue that had been setup after Katrina.”

And:

“Seven p.m. had barely come andgone, yet the line of people waiting to get into L’Amour Sauvage alreadystretched down ALBATROSS Street…”

If I haddone the Story Bible from the outset, this would not be necessary. Doh.

Are youwriting a series or shared-universe books? Story Bible. Really. Just do it. Andif you do it, or a version of it, what’s your method?

*Look for more from Suzanne here every 3rd Monday of the month!

"Revved up and red-hot sexy, CRASH INTO YOU, delivers a riveting romance!" --Lorelei James, NY Times Bestselling author of the ROUGH RIDERS series

CRASH INTO YOU is now available for pre-order!

Read an excerpt here.

5 Tips For Not Screwing Up Your Character's Name by Suzanne Johnson

October 17, 2011 Roni Loren

It's genre Monday and today Suzanne Johnson is going to cover a topic I seem to always have trouble with--naming characters in a way that isn't confusing, redundant, or just plain wrong.

For the record, these tips also apply to naming your children. :)

Take it away Suzanne...

Photo by quinn.anya

5 Tips for Naming Your Character (aka I Screw Up So You Don’t Have To)

I’m in the throes of writing the third book in my upcoming urban fantasy series, and have spent the last hour looking at a key scene involving my heroine and a regent (think: big boss) vampire who might or might not be a murderous necromancer. So far, the vampire’s name is VAMPIRE. Catchy, eh?

Names are no different for paranormals than for romance—or any other kind of fiction. They have power. They resonate (we hope in a good or bad way, depending on the character) with readers. Sometimes we struggle to find them, and sometimes they come to us unbidden. They are important, in other words. And if we are writing series....we’re going to be stuck with them for what we hope is a very long time.

So here are a few lessons about character names I’ve learned the hard way. Think of it as “Suzanne screws up...so you don’t have to.”

The cardinal rule: LOVE the name because you never know how long you might be stuck with it.

I’m like most writers, I suspect, in using a hodgepodge of methods to come up with names. My heroine—technically the only character in my series who cannot be killed—is Drusilla Jane Jaco. What a horrific name for a young, cute blonde wizard, in retrospect. When I started the first book in the series in 2008, I thought naming her after my great-great grandmother would be fun. A little in-joke between me and, well, me. Three books later, I’m tired of finding new ways to explain how she goes by DJ and was named after great-aunt Dru and hates her name blah blah blah, because that has to be done in Every. Single. Book.

Just because Charlaine Harris got away with it doesn’t mean you should try.

Just as you don’t want names that are uber-pretentious (Lord Ar’guth’nirz) or unpronounceable (Cthulhu), you also don’t want names so plain they put your readers to sleep. In one of my manuscripts, Beth Harris was Beth Harris for 93,000 words...until I realized she was bland and vapid, and her name proved it (my apologies to any of you named Beth Harris). The exception to this rule is if your own name is Charlaine Harris. In her ridiculously popular Sookie series (technically, the Southern Vampire series, from which HBO made “True Blood”), Harris planted tongue firmly in cheek and gave the well-endowed Sookie the surname of Stackhouse. Her vampires were Bill and Eric (again tongue in cheek...Eric, who was a Viking when he was turned vampire, uses the last name Northman). But still, I wonder, now that the series has reached book number twelve or something like that, if Ms. Harris ever wishes Bill were named...Jackson, or something un-Bill-like.

Want a really cool name for your character? Use surnames. There are several good online databases of surnames, even broken down by country. One of my own favorite characters is named Mirren. And yes, he was named after Helen Mirren (but don’t tell him since he’s a big macho alpha male and would feel emasculated. I’ve managed to keep that secret from him so far).

Use a name that’s pronounced like it’s spelled.

Just for your own peace of mind. I love my merman twins Rene and Robert Delachaise and their daddy Toussaint, but I know people are going to pronounce their names wrong unless they’re from South Louisiana. It really doesn’t matter except that I like their names with the correct pronunciation: “Renny” and “Row-bear” and “Too-sont” “Della-shay.” So if I’m the only one who enjoys the way a name sounds tripping off the tongue, isn’t that kind of like a tree falling in the woods with no one to hear?

Check your history.

This is a lesson most applicable to writers of historicals or paranormals. Poor, dull Beth Harris’ love interest in my paranormal romance was a 400-year-old Irish vampire named Galen, born in 1570 in the area near Kinsale and turned vampire when he was in his early 30s. I loved Galen Murphy. He was Galen for months and months...until a savvy beta reader, damn her, did a little research and pointed out gleefully that the name Galen was not in use in Ireland in 1600—in fact, it didn’t make it there until the 1800s. So Galen bit the dust, replaced by Aodhan, a fine bit of Gaelic that today is Aidan. But he’ll always be Galen to me.

Variety is good.

Look at your cast of characters as a whole and make sure there aren’t similar names. Not starting with the same letter, certainly, but also not all hard consonant sounds or soft vowel sounds. Did I follow this advice? Of course not. It’s why, three books into my series, I still have major characters named Jean and Jake. Never mind that Jean is an undead French pirate and Jake is a honey-tongued devil from Picayune, Mississippi, who owns a Bourbon Street bar. Jean and Jake; Jake and Jean—and throw in DJ, just so we’ll have another J going. And remember Aidan, who replaced Galen? His brother’s name is Owen. Aidan and Owen. Owen and Aidan. Vowels. So confusing. Don’t do it.

So, there you have it. Now, I’m still looking at my new vampire, who has to compete on the playing field with DJ, Jake, Jean, and Alex (my only character with the good sense to take a unique, likeable, pronounceable name). Perhaps Adam? No....

In honor of names, my recommended read this month is Dead Witch Walking (The Hollows, Book 1)
, a funny, sexy urban fantasy by Kim Harrison and the first in her long-running Hollows series. In it, you’ll find Rachel, Ivy, Trent, Jenks, Kisten, and Al. (AL, you might ask? Well, yeah, he’s a demon and it’s short for Algaliarept.)

What’s been your most problematic character name?

*Look for more from Suzanne here every 3rd Monday of the month!

“...a sexy, sizzling tale that is sure to have readers begging for more!" –Jo Davis, author of I SPY A DARK OBSESSION

CRASH INTO YOU is now available for pre-order!

Read an excerpt here.

Steampunk, Werewolves, and Spaceships—What’s All That About? by Suzanne Johnson

September 19, 2011 Roni Loren

Hope everyone had a great weekend! :) It's genre Monday time, and Suzanne is helping us with something I know I was definitely in need of--a breakdown of all the different types and hybrids of fantasy and science fiction. There are so many genres being crossed and straddled, that it makes my head spin when I looking through book choices. So take it away, Suzanne...

Steampunk, Werewolves, and Spaceships—What’s All That About?

by Suzanne Johnson

It’s a common question we all get as authors: “So, what kind of books do you write?” I used to say “urban fantasy with a touch of romance”—to which I’d get a lot of polite, blank stares.

Then I’d try to qualify it more: “You know, my books are sort of Harry Potter and Stephanie Plum meet Stephen King, except in a real city.” Blank stares turn to the type of nodding looks usually reserved for the crazy aunts we keep locked in our attics down here in the South.

Now, I just wave my hand around and say, “oh it’s kinda like science fiction,” which seems to satisfy them.

Except, really, it’s not. So, here we go, my attempt at a Lexicon of Speculative Fiction. Next time someone throws a term like “steampunk” or “historical paranormal romance” at you, you’ll know what to expect. It’s a whole brave new world out there!

I do a series of monthly columns for my publisher’s website (the oh-so-fabulous Tor.com) called “Fiction Affliction,” in which I look at all the speculative fiction books being released the next month. So I’ll divide the speculative sub-genres here much as I do there.

First, there’s

SCIENCE FICTION

Sci-Fi is the granddaddy of speculative fiction, of course, and basically refers to any alternative reality or futuristic story that has its basis in science (as opposed to magic). All may have romantic elements, though romance is secondary to the plot in most, and books in each category are published for either adult and Young Adult (YA) readers. Common sub-genres within Sci-Fi are:

Space Opera

These are the stories set on space ships, on other planets, or that have alien critters running around on Earth.

Hard Sci-Fi

Just what it sounds like. Usually some technological advance that goes awry or is misused in some way.

Apocalyptic/Dystopian

“End of the world” stories that usually involve a radically degraded culture due to environmental negligence, a virus, or technology run amok.

Cyberpunk

Sort of a street-level science fiction, if you will. I’ve heard it called “high-tech, lowlife” fiction. Tends to be violent and dark.

Alt History

Want to find out what happened if the South won the Civil War, or if Hitler had prevailed in Europe? Alt History’s your genre.

Steampunk

Stories are set in the late 1800s, reimagining what life might have been like had the rapid (often steam-driven) technological advances of that era run amok. A newer subgenre called “Weird West” sets the wacky technological marvels in the American Wild West. (Cowboys in airships, anyone?)

Time-Travel

This is self-explanatory and can be either science fiction or fantasy, depending on whether the time-travel results from scientific advances or magic.

Sci Fi Romance

Can be any of the above subgenres, only the romance is the centerpiece of the story, and there’s at least a happily-for-now ending.

Next, leaving science fiction behind, we have

FANTASY

High fantasy, also known as epic fantasy, features stories based on the magical or supernatural, either in character or plot or setting.

Sword and Sorcery

These are the “dungeons and dragons” kinds of stories, set in imaginary realms, with lots of swordplay and magic.

Quest.

A band of oddly matched travelers, who might or might not be human-like, work to achieve something noble like saving the world. Think Lord of the Rings.

Historical Fantasy.

Often set in imaginary, medieval-like worlds, and featuring warring kingdoms or political factions.

Fantasy Romance.

Could be any of the above fantasy subgenres, only the romance is the centerpiece of the story, and there’s at least a happily-for-now ending.

Finally, we have the FANTASY HYBRIDS, the genres that have really taken over in the last two decades, beginning with Harry Potter and then Twilight and True Blood and now Hunger Games. Fantasy hybrids involve paranormal creatures such as vampires, werewolves, zombies, wizards, mermaids...you name it...but in a real-world setting.

Urban Fantasy

A head-on collision between the fantasy world and the real world. Usually set in a real urban area but with magic or paranormal creatures. Urban fantasy often has romantic elements, horror elements, or both.

Paranormal Romance

Basically, urban fantasy where the romance is the central focus of the book, with the requisite happily-for-now ending.

So there you have it—a handy guide to speculative fiction. There are other sub-sub-genres, but we’ve at least hit the high points. Now...a recommending reading list? Here are a few:

*Sci-Fi/Time-Travel/alt history:

Kill three birds with one book by reading Connie Willis’ Blackout and sequel, All Clear.

*Epic Fantasy:

You can’t go wrong with anything by George R.R. Martin, but try his A Song of Ice and Fire series, beginning with A Game of Thrones.

*Urban Fantasy:

This is my genre and there are so many I love, but try Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series, beginning with Moon Called.

* Paranormal Romance:

For hot and sexy, read J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series, beginning with Dark Lover.

For hot and funny, go for Jeaniene Frost’s Dark Huntress series, beginning with Halfway to the Grave.

*Look for more from Suzanne here every 3rd Monday of the month!

Deep Characters for Plot-First Writers by Suzanne Johnson

August 15, 2011 Roni Loren

Welcome to the first week of our new feature--genre columnist Monday! :) Today we have the lovely and talented Suzanne Johnson talking to us about developing characters when plot is what comes easiest to you.

Already, this makes me happy that I'm bringing in others to post here because this is a post I could never write. Characters are what come easy to me and plot is my challenge, so I'm the opposite of Suzanne. That's why this is going to be so helpful. Different perspectives open up a whole new slew of topics to cover.

Also, you'll notice at the bottom of the post that each Monday columnist is going to give you their monthly suggestion of a great read in their particular genre. This recommendation may or may not be related to the post, but I hope it gives everyone some great new books to check out! :) So now, over to Suzanne...

Deep Characters for Plot-First Writers

Writing craft is a process—we’re all learning as we go if we want to take this business seriously. Or at least that’s what I tell myself when I’m trying to excuse my penchant for taking online writing workshops or buying yet another book on technique and craft.

My latest read, bought to help coalesce my thoughts as I developed my own online workshop on plotting, is Jeff Gerke’s

Plot versus Character: A Balanced Approach to Writing Great Fiction

. I haven’t gotten far enough along for it to impart some revolutionary new approach for me to try, but I was struck by something he hammers home early in the book, and which I believe to be true:

He writes: “I believe there are two types of novelists, i.e., two archetypes into which all fiction writers may be grouped. On the one hand you have those for whom plot ideas come naturally. On the other, you have those for whom characters arise wih ease. … Rarely do you see a novelist who is naturally good at both. I have never met one.”

Neither have I.

I’m a plot-first novelist. I come up with a big What-If idea, spin a story around it, and then go searching for characters to do my bidding. The result, as anyone who read a first draft of my first novel would agree, is a rambunctious story peopled by characters so cardboard they barely qualify as one-dimensional. Some books like this get published and widely read (clears throat and mumbles *da vinci code* mumbles), but not many, at least not outside the thriller genre.

One of the writers in my critique group is a character-first writer at the other extreme. His writing is lyrical and mouthwateringly rich. His characters are deep and I want to know them and learn more about them. But they don’t actually DO anything, and I worry that his book will never get written because he can’t wrap his head around the plot to sustain them for 300 pages or so.

The ideal, I think we’d all agree, is a book that combines the best of those two. It’s just that we have to work extra hard to make up the shortcomings on whichever side of the plot-first/character-first spectrum we fall on.

For my workshop “textbook,” I deconstructed the plot of J.R. Ward’s

Dark Lover, the first in her wildly successful paranormal romance series, the Black Dagger Brotherhood. I chose this not because it’s my favorite series (it is), and not because it’s the best book in that series (it isn’t, at least not to me), but because this book—this whole series—is such a perfect blend of plot and character.

In her Black Dagger Brotherhood Insider’s Guide, Ward talks about the series, and about her process. This whole empire, whose tenth book will be released next spring, came from a group of characters formed inside her head, who wanted out on paper. Wrath and his “brothers” came first, because Ward is a character-first novelist.

She’s also incredibly disciplined, and compensates for her character-first nature by serious plotting. Her “outline” for Dark Lover ran forty-four pages.

So, how do plot-first and character-first authors compensate for the part of their writing that don’t come easily to them?

As a plot-firster, here are some techniques I use to get to know my characters:

*The interview.

Ask them questions. Don’t filter their answers but type them out as they come into your head. It’s a great way to find a character’s voice. Don’t just ask deep, meaningful things like “What do you want most in life?” Ask them things like “What did you eat for breakfast this morning?” or “What kind of underwear are you wearing?”

*The character sheet

One of the best books I’ve found with character questionnaires is Noah Lukeman’s The Plot Thickens: 8 Ways to Bring Fiction to Life.

*Visual cues.

Look in magazines or online to find people who look like the people in your head. Having a strong visual reference as you write can help with better descriptions not only of appearance but actions.

*Narrative shifts.

If you’re writing in third-person POV, shift to first-person for a while (it’s easy to shift it back). If you’re writing in first-person, shift to third for a chapter or two. If you’re writing from the POV of one character, rewrite a scene from another character’s POV. The change of perspective seems to plug into different parts of the writing brain and help you figure out how your character would respond to plot points.

*Find your character’s type.

I discovered Enneagrams about a year ago and never looked back. This is a great tool for finding which archetype your characters fits into, and how he or she will respond to different scenarios based on type. You can find online info at http://www.enneagraminstitute.com/ but I ended up buying a copy of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Power of the Enneagram.

*Think like a Shrink.

In generic terms, this is just studying your character’s psychological makeup to look at past events that contribute to behavior. But there’s also a great book by this name by Dr. Harold Rosen.

Suzanne’s Recommended Read for August:

Dark Lover, first in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, by J.R. Ward

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other—six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing more than Wrath, the leader of The Black Dagger Brotherhood. The only purebred vampire left on earth, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But when one of his most trusted fighters is killed, leaving his half-breed daughter unaware of his existence or her fate, Wrath must usher her into the world of the undead-a world of sensuality beyond her wildest dreams.

*Look for more from Suzanne here every 3rd Monday of the month!

So, are you a plot-first or a character-first author? If you’re character-first are you a pantser (usually character-first writers will be)? Or do you, like J.R. Ward, compensate by rigorous outlining?

Writer Under Construction - 10 Things I'd Do Differently

August 8, 2011 Roni Loren

I feel like over the last few months (and even now) I should have yellow and black construction tape wrapped around my head. Just like anything else in life this whole being a writer thing is a learning process. You do the best you can as you go along and do better when you know better.

And the hard part is that no one is really sure what the right way is anyhow. There's a lot of advice out there (including the stuff on this here blog). But for every post you find, you can find one contradicting it. It's both beautiful and terrifying that there is no definitive way to do things.

And this is most evident when looking at advice for building your platform and blogging.

Some things you'll hear out there...

Don't just write about writing because you're only reaching other writers.

Write about writing because readers aren't visiting author blogs anyway, so you should hook into the network of writers.

Don't get a website until you have a book to sell.

Have a website when you start querying because agents will look you up.

Don't do group blogs because no one will know your name.

Do group blogs because it will free up more time for writing.

Social networking is the only way to be a successful authors these days.

Social networking doesn't matter, the only thing that counts is writing a good book.

You must have your blog on _______ (fill in the blank) --wordpress, blogger, your own domain, tumblr

And the people behind each of these views have totally valid points to back up their case. So I can't tell you who is right or wrong. But I will tell you what I've learned in my two years of blogging and along the journey of going from very pre-published to preparing for my debut.

How I'd Do Things Differently If I Did It All Over Again

1. Build your blog where you want to keep it.

This is the one that has caused be much grief these last few months. I built this blog on blogger. And I like blogger. I find it an easy, no-fuss blogging platform. I also like the community on blogger and love the people I've met over here. However, blogger isn't really set up to integrate with a real website once you have one. And moving your followers (and archives and permalinks) to a new place (unless you move to Wordpress) is pretty much impossible from what I can tell.

This doesn't feel like a big deal when you're just starting out and are happy to have fifty followers. But blogs can grow fast. I've pretty much locked myself into blogger now unless I want to start all over again. So that's why I've had to move to maintaining two blogs.

2. Don't limit yourself to one kind of topic like writing.

This is one Kristen Lamb has talked about recently. And I tend to agree. I made this a writing blog. I'm happy I did and I don't think I would have built the following I have if I had started up a blog without a unified focus. However, this approach does box you in a bit. When I wanted to start stretching so that my posts appealed not just to writers but to non-writing readers, I was left in a bit of a quandary. Some of you would be totally fine with me putting both romance-y posts (like my Boyfriends of the Week) mixed in with the writing stuff. And honestly, if I could've figured out a way to merge and move my blogs, I probably would've done that. But I also know many of you aren't really coming here for that type of posts and are only here for the writing stuff. It would've been a bit of a bait and switch. So that's why if I had to do it over again, I'd still blog about writing, but I'd mix in the other stuff as well from the very beginning so that everyone knew what to expect.

3. Only do the social networks you enjoy.

There is so much out there to connect with. I feel like sometimes it's like being in a bed strapped to all those machines and tubes in a hospital. Except all the wires are attached to our brain. It can become too much. So pick which social networks you like the best and focus on those. I like blogging, twitter, and tumblr. So that's where I put my effort. Yes, I'm also on facebook and google+ and goodreads, but anything I post at any of those is really just a feed from my other sites. If I totally dialed into all of them, I'd never get anything else done.

4. Think hard about the kind of books you want to write and what that author brand would look like.

This isn't always possible. I started out writing YA and ended up getting pubbed in erotic romance. o.0 Yeah, I know. Big leap. But this also meant my brand kind of shifted midway through. I'm always me, but I'm talking more about topics I covered and the "look" of my websites. I'm getting pubbed in dark, erotic romance and I had this bright, colorful Fiction Groupie blog. It didn't really jive. So that's why I eventually changed it to match the feel of my website. So if you know you're going to be writing dark horror, don't build your site with sparkles and puppies. You're not going to attract the people that are actually going to want to read your book.

5. Do hook into the community of writers.

I actually got this one right. Writing can be a very solitary act. I don't know if I'd have survived it through writing my books if I hadn't found lovely writer friends and crit partners. This is by far the best thing about blogging and social networking.

6. None of it matters if you're not writing and working on your craft.

Duh. I know. But it's SO easy to get so caught up in the social networking that you start sucking up your writing time. I have fallen into this trap because I love blogging and twitter. But writing has to come first. This is why I've been shifting around my blog schedule so often lately as I try to find the right balance.

7. Put your name on things and reserve your web domain early.

When I started I was just Fiction Groupie. I didn't want to put my name out there and *gasp* have people actually know that I was attempting to write something. What if I failed? But this was a mistake. You are your brand. Kristen Lamb says it best when she says, you can't go into the store and look for a book from Fiction Groupie. People need to know your name. Otherwise, what brand are you building? (And you'll notice I put the Fiction Groupie title back at the top this week. But I have my name on top. Now that I've decided to keep this a writing blog, I figured it needed it's name back to decipher it from my author blog.)

As for web domain, go into this with the expectation that you will one day be published. You don't want to miss out on having yourname.com because you didn't spend the twenty bucks a year it costs to reserve it. So get thee to a service like Go Daddy and spend a few bucks to hold on to that name.

8. If you plan to use a pen name pick one and use it early.

Made this mistake too. I used my real name for the first year that I blogged. Then when I decided to write erotic romance and wanted a pen name, I had to change EVERYTHING. Domains, email addresses, facebook, twitter, yadda yadda yadda. It was a major pain. Luckily, I kept my first name so everyone knew me as Roni and that didn't change. But on the logistic side, it was a bit of a nightmare.

9. Trust your gut and weed through advice.

Sometimes you (and by that I mean I) can get caught up in the "expert" opinions. Like I said at the beginning of this post. There is not RIGHT way to do things. Read the advice that's out there and then use what resonates with you. Different things work for different people. No one thing is going to work for everyone. So take things as guidance not gospel. (There is irony in me giving advice about not taking all advice. Hmm.)

10. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

I'm a control freak. That's not going to change. I tried a group blog on Tumblr and it quickly fell into feeling like I was back in high school working on a group project where I wanted to keep everyone on task. Not good. However, I knew when I decided that I was going to keep this blog on writing while maintaining an author blog as well that I was going to have to ask for help.

So this is where I get to the exciting news part of this post (if you've made it this far in this LONG post, lol). I am implementing a new feature here on Fiction Groupie. Every Monday we are going to have regularly occurring guests who are authors in genres other than mine. They are author friends who I know are great at posting about writing craft and publishing and I am SO excited to be bringing people with fresh and different perspectives to the blog.

So here's what the new schedule is going to look like starting next week:

Monday: Guest post from one of our Monthly Genre Columnists

Wednesday: Writing/Publishing Post from me

Friday: Fill-Me-In Friday -- best links of the week

Tuesday and Thursday, I'll be posting on my author blog.

So join me in welcoming our five new stellar guest contributors!

♥

Julie Cross

- YA Debut Author

(first Mondays)

♥

Ashley March

- Historical Romance Author

(2nd Mondays)

♥

Suzanne Johnson

- Debut Urban Fantasy Author

(3rd Mondays)

♥

Joan Swan

-Suspense/Thrillers - Debut Romantic Suspense

(4th Mondays)

♥

Sierra Godfrey

- Women's Fiction & Marketing

(5th Mondays)

See all their

bios and books here

I hope that you all are as excited as I am about the new re-re-re-revamping. :) Thanks for sticking with me through all my changing as I continue to figure things out as I go along.

Now, I'd love to hear what you've learned since you started this whole writing thing. What would you do differently? Do any of the points on my list scare you? Oh, and if anyone knows any brilliant way to combine my blogs all onto my squarespace and still keep followers and archives, let me know--I'll love you forever.

Steampunk, Werewolves, and Spaceships—What’s All That About?

by Suzanne Johnson

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