How To Develop a Subplot by Claire Ashgrove

Today I have a special guest for you guys. Claire Ashgrove aka Tori St. Claire was my release day mate with Berkley Heat. But instead of just debuting one book like me, she had TWO books release on the SAME DAY under different names and at different publishers. And I thought I was tired. Whew!


So I'm so happy that she was able to take some time and stop by the blog to talk to us about weaving in subplots. Hope you enjoy!
 

 

Developing A Sub-plot
by Claire Ashgrove/Tori St. Claire
 
Hi, everyone!  I’d like to thank Roni first, for inviting me here today.  She’s my release-date-twin with Berkley Heat (for my erotic romantic suspense as Tori St. Claire, STRIPPED) and since discovering that, I’ve begun following her blog, learned some wonderful tips, and find myself concurring with a large majority of what she writes.  She’s someone to learn from, and I’m thrilled to be stopping in to say hello to all of you.
 
While I do share a release-date with Roni for STRIPPED, today I want to talk about subplots, and my paranormal romance IMMORTAL HOPE, that also released on January 3.
 
If you’ve ever read my Inherited Damnation series, you’ll find I am fascinated by subplots.  Not just fascinated, truly addicted.  The deeper, more layered, more intricate, the more I love them.  
 
So how does an author layer an effective subplot?
 
Well, in truth, it’s not easy.  And the more you like to subplot, the more difficult it can become.  (My newest proposal required a concept understanding of ten—yes ten!—books to get from point A to point Z) Add in that sometimes layering subplot requires deviating from what’s taught as ‘accepted craft’, and then there’s more hurdles for an author to overcome.  
 
But it can be done.  The trick is to consider the story you want to tell as a separate story from the one you have to tell.
 
Huh?
 
Yes, well, consider this:  You’re writing romance.  The story you have to tell is a romantic journey between the hero and heroine, internal and external conflict there, and a happily ever after ending.  The story you want to tell is all the stuff going on around them that leads you (likely) to a second, third, even tenth book.  It’s the stuff that affects the world they are in.
 
If you break them out by separate stories, then you can evaluate the beginning, middle, and end of each.  You can decipher your ongoing conflict, your climax, your resolution for each.  Then, you are able to overlay the story you have to tell (Story A) onto the story you want to tell (Story B).
 
Once they are overlaid, you can look at the major plot points of Story B, and manipulate them so that they become external conflict points in Story A.  You may have a resolution to Story A, but as your overlay will depict, you have a lot more to tell with Story B, which is where your next book picks up.  The romantic journey for the hero and heroine influence the overall conflict of your main plot, and become goals that must be accomplished for the overall resolution.
 
I did this with IMMORTAL HOPE, the first book in The Curse of the Templars series. 
 

CENTURIES AGO,
Templar knights defied the archangels and unearthed the copper scroll, revealing the gates to hell. Cursed for their forbidden act, they forever roam the earth protecting mankind from evil. But darkness stalks them, and battles they fight bring them ever-closer to eternal damnation. One promise remains to give them salvation – the return of the seraphs.
Embittered by his purpose, Merrick du Loire must honor an ancient pact and bring peace to his cousin’s soul. When he stumbles upon history professor Anne MacPherson, he discovers she possesses a sacred artifact that marks her as a seraph. Duty demands he set aside his personal quest and locate the knight she’s fated to heal. As he struggles with conflicting oaths, Anne arouses buried hope and sparks forbidden desire that challenges everything he’s sworn to uphold. 
Anne has six weeks to complete her thesis on the Knights Templar. When Merrick takes her to the Templar stronghold, he presents her with all she needs—and awakens a soul-deep ache, he alone can soothe. Yet loving Merrick comes with a price. If she admits she's destined for him, her gift of foresight predicts his death.

 
In this, Story B – the one I wanted to tell – was Azazel’s quest for the relics that would give him the power to overthrow the Almighty.  He needs eight to accomplish the vile deed, which provided a set of steps necessary to accomplish his goal.  He’s my main character.  His antagonists are my protagonists in my individual books.  So that story involved developing what he needs, how he’s going to either get them or fail, and what happens as a result of each step.  Who will oppose him, how they will oppose him, and whether those persons live or die.
 
Story A – the story I had to tell – was the romance between Merrick du Loire and Anne MacPherson.  To be a romance, we had to have the specific elements required by the genre: boy meets girl, sexual tension, boy gets girl, dark moment where boy loses girl, and then the resolution and HEA.  
 
What keeps them apart are the same things that work towards Azazel’s goal.  Immortal Hope covers a small portion of time in Story B, as opposed to trying to stuff it all into the same plot.  By using this approach, an author can take time to build necessary world elements, lay the foundation, ground the reader, and extend the life of an idea.
 
The result was the series concept:
 
In 1119, nine knights rode with Hughes de Payens to the Holy Land, becoming the Knights Templar. All were bound by marriage or by blood. Eight were recorded over time. The ninth vanished into history.
 
Beneath the legendary Temple Mount, the knights uncovered holy relics, including the Copper Scroll—a document written by Azazel’s unholy hand. For their forbidden digging, the archangels exacted a sacrifice. The knights would spend eternity battling the demons of Azazel’s creation, but with each vile death they claimed, a portion of darkness would enter their soul. In time, they would transform into knights of Azazel, warriors veined with evil, destined to fight against the Almighty.
 
Yet an ancient prophecy remained to give them hope. When darkness raped the land, the seraphs would return. Female descendants of the Nephilim would carry the light to heal their dying souls.
 
Centuries have passed. Azazel’s might grows to intolerable limits. With the acquisition of eight holy relics, he will gain the power to overthrow the Almighty.
 
Six Templars stand above the rest in duty, honor, and loyalty. But each is haunted by a tragic past, and their darkened souls rapidly near the end. As they battle both the overwhelming power of evil and the nightmares of lives they left behind, the seraphs are more than tools to victory.
 
They are salvation.
 
 
Overlaying two separate stories is only one approach to sub-plotting, but I feel it’s the easiest place to start, and the most basic to explain.  There are dozens of methods, dozens of charts out there to help an author track.  The most important thing to remember?  If you treat a subplot like its own individual book, the stronger and more engaging it will become, and the more room for later opportunity you develop.
 
Good luck with your writing in 2012! If there’s ever a question about writing you’d like to ask me, feel free to drop me an email anytime.
 
~Claire

 
Claire will be giving away a $25 Amazon.com gift certificate to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a second $25.00 Amazon.com gift certificate to a second randomly drawn commenter at the end of the tour.  Be sure to follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning! Click the Blog Tour badge for a complete list of blog stops.


 

 

 

"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|

 

My Writing Process: Draft Zero to Done by Suzanne Johnson

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|

 

Fill-Me-In Friday: Best Writing Links of The Week

 


It's that time of the week again. Here are the best writing links of the week along with updates from my blog tour. (Thanks to those of you who are stopping by for the tour. I really appreciate it!)

 

On Writing and Publishing:

How To Self-Publish So It Benefits Readers by Chuck Wendig

Engage with your readers through threaded commenting | Blogger Buzz --FINALLY, threaded comments on Blogger!

Here There Be Blog Trolls–How to Spot Them & What To Do « Kristen Lamb's Blog

Twitter - the virtual literary salon | Books | guardian.co.uk

Author, Jody Hedlund: Walls on the Path to Publication: a Necessity or a Nuisance

Eight Steps to Successfully Market Yourself Online - Author Marketing Experts

How Tightly Do You Control Your Blog? | Jami Gold, Paranormal Author

How To Pick and Choose a Writers Conference | GENREALITY

Twitter Really, Really Hates Google’s New Google+ Integration | TechCrunch

Ah, Decisions! FREE Wordpress Blog or Self-Hosted Website? | Molly Greene

Author, Jody Hedlund: Making Friends Without Making Them Feel Used

Sierra Godfrey: Blog Spam and How to Spot It

What You May Have Missed Here: 

5 Narrative Mistakes You Can Fix Now 
by Elise Rome
Guest Blogging Etiquette 101
What You May Have Missed on the Author Blog:

My Blog Tour Stops:

 

A Peek Into My Heroine's Background at Bookin' It Reviews

5 Ways Writing Erotic Romance Differs From Writing Other Genres at Words of Wisdom

Interview at Get Lost in a Story

My Road To Publication Started with New Kids on the Block at Ramblings From This Chick

A Sneak Peek Inside The Ranch (the BDSM retreat in my books)  at AsianCocoa's Secret Garden

Interview at Novel Reflections (New today!)

What Inspires Me As a Writer at Mina Khan's Blog (New today!)

Alright, that's all I've got this week. What were some of your favorite links of the week?

 

“...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!

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|

 

5 Narrative Mistakes You Can Fix Now by Author Elise Rome

 

Hope everyone had a great weekend! It's Guest Monday and today I have historical author Elise Rome (the author formerly known as Ashley March for those who have been following this series), giving us part two of her Fix It Now series to help us get through revisions.

But first...
 

 

BLOG TOUR ALERT: I'm over at AsianCocoa's Secret Garden giving you A Sneak Peek Inside The Ranch (the BDSM resort in CRASH INTO YOU) with photos!
 

 


Okay, now take it away, Elise...

 


5 Narrative Mistakes You Can Fix Right Now
 
This is the continuation of the Fix It Now series where I focus on mistakes I’ve seen beginning/aspiring writers make in their manuscripts. You can find the first blog in the series here: 5 Dialogue Mistakes You Can Fix Right Now.


      1. Take advantage of contractions.
This is intended for both dialogue and narrative. If you’re reading through your work and the flow feels awkward or the dialogue stiff, trying using contractions to make the words flow more naturally. For historicals especially, I see a lot of manuscripts where writers seem to have a preference to do without contractions, perhaps because they believe it conveys a certain tone to say “do not” rather than “don’t.” While I’m not saying you have to use contractions wherever they can be substituted, I would urge you to use them when it helps with the rhythm of your manuscript. Your final readers will thank you.


2. Use sentence length to control pacing and rhythm.
Many of you have probably heard this before, but it’s important enough to have a reminder for when you go back to edit your manuscript. To help action scenes seem more urgent, avoid longer sentences with numerous clauses in favor of shorter, to the point sentences that keep the reader’s eyes moving on to the next sentence and the next, always asking: Then what happens? I personally find it more advantageous to use longer, complex sentences when writing sex scenes and scenes where I’m concentrating on trying to evoke deep emotion from the reader. Throughout most parts of your book, however, there should be a balance of short and long sentences to help with maintaining a good rhythm.


3. Cut out the anachronisms and clichés.
Anachronisms
This is specifically targeted to historical writers. We’re mostly very careful about researching appropriate settings, clothing, customs, etc for our novels, but it can be harder for us to remember to watch the use of modern language. I urge you to comb through your manuscript carefully, searching for any words or phrases that stick out. For example, did you know that the word “feisty” wasn’t used until 1896, and that the word “allergic” wasn’t used until 1911? Hint: my go-to resource for quick checks is www.etymonline.com.
 
Clichés
It doesn’t matter how cute the cliché is or that it actually fits the situation in your novel. Strive to be original; strive to write fresh. This goes for both phrases and plot tropes. Find a way to make your words and your story unique.


4. Avoid repetition.
I’m critiquing a manuscript right now where words such as “gentle”, “slow”, “quiet” and their derivatives are used over and over again to the point of exhaustion. There are programs out there that can tell you which words you use most frequently, but I really encourage you to find and edit these yourself. You need to be engaged in the manuscript when you edit, not just randomly selecting and deleting words to lower their count. Be very aware of how often you use the same word or its derivative in the same paragraph and on the same page or nearby pages. And if it’s a word that isn’t commonly used (say, “tumescent”, for example), it’s probably a good idea to make sure it’s not used more than once throughout the chapter (I have my doubts for repetitions in the rest of the manuscript, too).


5. Be consistent in POV.
Point of view is a topic that deserves its own series, to be honest, but one of the easiest mistakes to fix and one of the most common mistakes I see is when a character calls another character by different names in the first character’s POV. 
 
Example: If Tom knows Dr. Smith on a personal level, he’s probably not going to call him Dr. Smith; he’ll use his first name, Peter. For consistency’s sake, he’s definitely not going to think of him or call him both Dr. Smith and Peter, although he might call him Dr. Smith when speaking of him to someone else.
 
Another example, because POV consistency with names is especially important when dealing with characters in historical settings: Let’s say your heroine has just met the hero, Alfred Spencer, Earl of Fenning, otherwise known as Lord Fenning. Since she’s just met him, she’s not going to call him Alfred either in narrative or dialogue. There’s no reason to call him at all by Spencer. So she’ll either designate him in her narrative as the Earl of Fenning, Lord Fenning, or the earl. In dialogue, she would say either “Lord Fenning” or “my lord.” 
 
Once they start to know each other better but are still on proper terms in their relationship, she might still keep the dialogue the same, but she might internally think of him as Alfred if she begins to like him in a romantic way.
 
Because of the set social strictures, the way characters use names in historical settings is important, not only for accuracy but also to give the reader a clue to how each character thinks of the other. 
 
Note: There are exceptions. I recently read a manuscript where I suggested that the names of all the characters stay the same throughout the narrative of the manuscript because the author hops from head to head throughout scenes. I thought it would be more confusing to the reader for the aristocrat to be thought of as Lord X in one sentence by the heroine and Rupert in the next paragraph by his brother. 
 
Do you recognize any of these issues as things you need to work on? What other narrative mistakes have you read in manuscripts/books that drive you crazy?

 
imgres.jpg Elise Rome is a historical romance author who lives in Colorado with her adoring (or is that adorable?) husband, her two young daughters, and their dog. She’s currently busy working on two new series, one set in mid-Victorian England and the other in the 1920s, both set to debut this spring. www.eliserome.com 

 

 

"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|

 

Navigating the Authorial Landmine of Reader Forums with Amber Skye

First off, I want to give heartfelt thanks to everyone for all the well wishes (and books bought!) for my release day yesterday. I seriously can't even describe how amazing it feels to have so much support. I'm so lucky to have found such a wonderful community of people here online. *giant group hug* I love you guys. :D
 


DAILY BLOG TOUR ALERT: On Riverina Romantics I'm doing a BDSM 101 post for those of you who may be new to my genre. And over at Stephanie Haefner's blog I'm answering questions about how I built Fiction Groupie and tackling burning issues such as Ryan Reynold or Gosling? ;)
 


Okay, so, Monday I did a post on Authorial Interaction with Readers - More Controversial Than I Thought. The post seemed to strike a cord with many of you and a lot of you had the same kind of surprised reaction I did. So when Amber offered to give her perspective from the trenches of reader forums, I thought it would be great to hear what she had to say. Hopefully her insight gives us an idea of where some of that sentiment was coming from in the original post I referenced.


Now to Amber...

Navigating the Authorial Landmine of Reader Forums
by Amber Skye


I am a writer, but first and foremost I'm a reader. I've long loved romance and erotica books (longer, in fact, than is strictly appropriate). Anne Rice was writing menage before menage was hip (hello, Witching Hour). Since then my tastes have meandered through the romance sub-genres, from paranormal to historical to contemporary and erotic and others. What I really love about the genre is the sense of tradition. I love the history of the romance genre and watching the evolution of it. And part of the culture is sharing the experience, whether it's a swap bookshelf at work or an online community.

 

For a while I was active on the Amazon Romance forums, which can best be described as the Wild West of discussion forums. Spam was a common occurrence: authors posting links to their books in irrelevant threads, posted a one-line, off-topic post, but with a 5 line signature with all their books linked, starting threads only to drop their book link. Worse than that, authors regularly got into "heated" discussions with readers. They called us wrong and stupid. They challenged not only our reviews, but our opinions in general and our reading selections. In an infamous thread about erotic rape-fantasy fiction, one author said that anyone who liked to read books like that should be raped so hard we had to go to the hospital. I'm dead serious.

 

Several their members and I started the GoodReads Refugee group, a group of readers (and a few authors) started by readers and for readers, with strict rules about what authors can do.  It's all community driven. Our members (as in, readers) get to say what is okay and what's not, and authors have to abide by the rules or get out. We still get spammed and insulted, but we can quickly delete and ban those offending members.


Now, you would never say awful things. Roni would never be like that. In fact, 98% of authors would never be like that, but those authors have already peed in the pool. The entire author species makes us nervous. That doesn't mean that we don't want authorial interaction. Some of us do. I do. And that is what blogs and newsletters and twitter and even author chats on those forums are for. But they have a built-in velvet rope around them because they are specifically set up for that purpose. When I subscribe to your blog or follow you on twitter, I'm telling you that I'm interested in what you have to say and giving you permission to send me promo.

 

The question about whether an author can participate in "reader" area is a great one. The answer is yes, you can, but you have to act as a reader. Put away your writing cap and your promo and go talk about the books that you read. This means sharing the books that you love, but also talking about what you didn't like. Authors don't like to do that, they don't want to give negative reviews. I understand that, it's throwing stones and glass houses and all of that. Plus, as an author, you have a certain respect for have freaking hard it is to do it well. But that's you're looking at it through writer-colored glasses, not as a reader. If you go into a reader's area and only give positive reviews, only talk about what you loved, then that looks a lot like promo. And when promo is unsolicited, as it would be in a reader area, then it's called spam.

Our group actually has a few authors in it. They talk about reading. And we like them. So when it comes time to promo them, guess what? We do it for them. One of our founder-author-reader-members, Penny Watson, said, "I honestly have no idea how my participation in this group has affected my sales, nor do I care. I write for fun. I read for fun. And I love this group because it's fun, friendly, and informative." Awesome. And anytime someone wants a Christmas book, we happily point them to hers. I read about a different instance of this happening here.

In the previous post, Roni said, "Yes, we're writers, but first and foremost we're READERS. Just because I have a book out there doesn't mean I'm not also voracious reader who loves to discuss books with others."

If an author was already involved in discussions, then they already know the etiquette. As KarLynP, my fellow moderator and romance forum junkie said, one of the biggest problems we see from authors is "not reading the posting policies nor getting the general feel for the group before you post." I can see how this would happen organically, without sinister spammy intentions, but it doesn't always end well. Starting all posts with "As an author" or "When I started writing X" ...yuck.

A reader can come into the discussion and say, "I loved that alpha hero, he was hot, but the heroine was like nails on a chalkboard to me." That's what reader discussion looks like. If you can say that, or whatever your actual opinion was, then you can absolutely participate. If you can't, because of potential backlash in the writer community, then you're no longer a reader first. You're a writer first.

 


People write their reviews for other readers. If it was intended as a message for the author, we'd email them. Even the Dear Author blog came out and said it was a shtick, not an actual letter. I know that authors can read my reviews, but it's disconcerting when they reply. If I rave about a book, then hearing a "thank you" is sweet. But if I say something negative in the review, then I don't want a "thank you" even in a private email. Depending on the phrasing, it can come across passive aggressive. But when authors respond to negative reviews, even if they speak carefully, you can always feel the hurt emanating from them. That doesn't shut the discussion on that review down, it dampens the whole reader community.

 

A book is a product. It's ALSO a labor of love, I know. Holy God, I know. But if you package it and put it up for sale and I paid good money for it, then it became a product along the way. And I should be allowed to say, "I didn't like this book" just like I'm allowed to say "I don't like this new shirt that bled purple all over my clothes." And I don't want Macy's (or whatever) coming up to me and saying, "well, actually, you misunderstood the intention behind the bleeding purple dye, we want all things to turn purple." Or even, "you read the washing instructions wrong, dummy." Sometimes reviewers make mistakes. People who read my review are smart enough to figure that stuff out for themselves.

I've bought books with scathing reviews. Hell, all books of a certain success level have scathing reviews. But when the author steps in, all indignant but trying to hide it behind a veil of courtesy, it's awkward. Don't make it awkward, authors. Take a book that you LOVED, that you consider epic, and check out it's negative reviews. It'll blow your mind, but they'll be there and full of reader rage. It's just part of the book ecosystem. If you're going to put your book out there, then you have to be willing to take your lumps, and quietly.

So what's a well-intentioned author to do?

Make it easy for readers to contact you. Have a blog and a twitter and whatever else you want. But above all, if you want reader interaction, put your gosh-darn email address up on your website! Twitter or contact forms are not a replacement. I know spam is scary (oh, the irony) but Gmail does a really good job nowadays, so just pick the whole email address up! Mine is hello@amberskye.net. There, I said it. And the spam lightning bolt did not strike my inbox full, so don't worry about it!

Don't ever respond to reviews. Roni brought up a great exception, which is if you were in email contact with a blogger and asked them to review your book. Then it makes sense to thank them, but I'd keep it hella short and sweet and do not comment on the content of the review. Otherwise, say nothing. Ever.

The #1 reader interaction is your book. If you want to interact with a reader, write a book. Then write another one, a better one. That is the absolute best way to interact with your fans. That's what we really want, the next installment, a sequel, a new book from you. If we like what you wrote, then we want to buy more, make that possible by writing as many great books as you can.

 

Amber Skye is a writer of dark erotica and sweet romance. Her erotica manuscript, which has won awards and what-nots, is currently out on submission. She blogs at http://amberskye.net and tweets at @a_skye, mostly about naughty things but occasionally about writing. In the interest of full disclosure, she self-publishes under a different pen name.

 

 

 

Thanks, Amber, for stopping by and sharing all of this with us! :)

So what do you guys think of authors participating in reader forums? Do you think you can take your author hat off? Anyone out there successfully being a "reader only" in forums? Any horror stories about authors peeing in the pool?

 

 

 

 

"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!

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|

 

Fill-Me-In Friday: The Best Writing Links of the Week

 

Hey, everyone! I'm sure you've had a busy week preparing for the holidays, so I've rounded up the best posts I've come across this week. 
On Writing and Publishing:
Should You Join the Indy Revolution? by CJ Lyons via Romance University


For Gits and Shiggles:

 

Can Drinking Help Your Writing? at Slate Magazine  (love that one of the hypotheses is that writers are all a little crazy anyway and more prone to addiction, lol. Like we need anyone to tell us that we're bent.)

Awesome Holiday Videos via Emily Ryan-Davis

What You May Have Missed Here:

 

Creating a Story Bible by Suzanne Johnson
What You May Have Missed on the Author Blog or on My CRASH INTO YOU Blog Tour:

Reid, hero of CRASH INTO YOU, talks about the perfect submissive
PLUS a chance to win my book!
at As the Pages Turn
(And what that has to do with ugly guys in p0rn)
at Kat Latham's Blog
at Anne R. Allen's Blog
That's all I've got. I hope you all have a wonderful and happy holiday! Have fun, be safe, and eat too many cookies!

 

 

“...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.


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 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

 

Creating a Story Bible by Suzanne Johnson

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? 

 


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!

 

 

 

 

 

"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.


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 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

 

Why I Went Traditional and 7 Reasons Why You Should (or Shouldn't)

I'm a guest over at Anne R. Allen's fabulous blog today talking about my reasons for pursuing traditional publication. Would love for y'all to stop by and say hi! : )

Coming Soon!

"★★★★ After reading Loren’s book of bondage and love, readers will race out for their own handcuffs and whips." -RT Book Reviews magazine

CRASH INTO YOU is now available for pre-order!
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 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

The Single Best Piece of Query Writing Advice I've Ever Heard

 

There is so much writing advice out there, and particularly advice on querying, that you could literally spend forever trying to absorb it all. It can be overwhelming. You've written this entire novel, yet trying to write 2-3 stinking paragraphs about it becomes a seemingly impossible task.

 

I used to beat my head against my keyboard trying to figure out how to do it the right way. (And by the way, this need to write a query never goes away. Even after you're published, you have to write back cover copy and short synopses. So it's a skill that gets used over and over again.)

But then I stumbled upon this simple tip from Agent Kristin Nelson and the dark storm clouds parted. Suddenly, it all made perfect sense. And I haven't stressed about writing that snappy little summary again.

So what did she say?

The query should be about the first third of your book.


That's it. It's not a synopsis of everything that's happened. It's a teaser, it's a back cover style blurb. You give the set up, the main characters, the big conflict, and then a nice juicy foreshadowing/hooky sentence at the end. The purpose of it is to make the agent or editor say--ooh, I need to read these pages to see what happens or where she goes with this.

I'll use my back cover blurb for CRASH INTO YOU as an example:

 

Brynn LeBreck has dedicated herself to helping women in crisis, but she never imagined how personal her work would get, or where it would take her. Her younger sister is missing, suspected to be hiding from cops and criminals alike at a highly secretive BDSM retreat—a place where the elite escape to play out their most extreme sexual fantasies. To find her Brynn must go undercover as a sexual submissive. [<--All this is set up and intro of MC.] Unfortunately, The Ranch is invitation only. And the one Master who can get her in is from the darkest corner of Brynn’s past. [<--And here's your character conflict. This entire paragraph covers what happens in just chapters 1-3, that's it.]

 
Brynn knows what attorney Reid Jamison is like once stripped of his conservative suit and tie [Introducing second main character]. Years ago she left herself vulnerable only to have him crush her heart. Now she needs him again. Back on top. And he’s all too willing to engage. [Deepening their conflict. She doesn't want this, but he does.] But as their primal desires and old wounds are exposed, the sexual games escalate—and so does the danger.  Their hearts aren’t the only things at risk. Someone else is watching, playing by his own rules. And his game could be murder. [This last section is the hook to let you know that some serious stuff is going to happen once these two people enter into Act 2 and start their adventure. I don't tell you anything about the antagonist or why someone is after them. I don't go into why there is so much animosity between Brynn and Reid. I want you to want to read the book to find out.]

 

I hope that break down makes sense. Once you stop worrying about fitting in all that other stuff, the query no longer feels as daunting. Just give them your first act and get out. Save the rest of it for that other dreaded thing--the synopsis. : )

So have you heard this tip before? Have you ever received a simple tip that gave you an ah-ha moment (feel free to share those tips with us!)? What has helped you with your query writing?

 

 

"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.


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 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

 

5 Dialogue Mistakes You Can Fix Right Now by Ashley March

It's guest Monday! Today we have one of our regular monthly contributors, the lovely and talented Ashley March (who will soon be known as Elise Rome for her new novels!)


Ashley is starting a new blog series here to help you out with those fine tuning things in your manuscript. Be sure to look for her tips each month. First up...dialogue.

Day 240: Smooch!
Photo by Brian Gosline

You Can Fix ItNow: Five Dialogue Mistakes
by Ashley March
Sincebecoming a published author, one of the things I’ve tried to do as a way of“giving back” to the writing community is to offer critiques to other writers.Sometimes these come through auctions, sometimes through networking when I offera critique to someone who’s made an impression on me. I’ve learned a lot in thepast few years I’ve been writing and critiquing, and I’d like to start sharingwith you the most common mistakes I find in the manuscripts of aspiring/beginningwriters. These are mistakes that you can fix now, instead of waiting forsomeone else to point them out to you (although I highly recommend that everywriter has a critique partner, if not two, plus a few beta readers). I’mbeginning the series with dialogue issues.
  1. Redundant Dialogue Tags
I’ve seen somewriters who include a dialogue tag at the beginning and end of a sentence.
For example:“Don’t do that,” Sheilasaid, “or your eyes will become crossed and no girl will want to dateyou again for as long as you live,” she said.
Only one tag isneeded. In fact, if Sheila were to go on for an entire paragraph, expounding onthe reasons why the person shouldn’t cross their eyes, she wouldn’t need anyfurther dialogue tags, because we’ve already established who the speaker is.
  1. Using a Dialogue Tag Every Time
It’s notnecessary to add a dialogue tag with every comment that one of your charactersmakes. In fact, less is better. You should use dialogue tags for these reasons:to establish who is speaking, or to remind the reader who is speaking; and tohelp with the rhythm/pacing of the words.
What not to do:
“I thinksomeone’s at the door,” Sheila said.
“Who is it?” Peter asked.
“How should Iknow?” Sheila asked.“I’ve been in my room.”
“Look,” Petersaid, “you’re the one who told me—”
“Just go see whoit is!” Sheila exclaimed.
And so on.Better alternative:
“I thinksomeone’s at the door,” Sheila said, motioning to Peter.
“Who is it?”
“How should Iknow? I’ve been in my room.”
“Look,” he said,“you’re the one who told me—”
“Just go see whoit is!”
Notice that weremoved one tag completely by including it in the narrative description ofanother tag. After two or three lines of pure dialogue I usually try to givethe reader a reminder of who the speaker is, as I did here. If we had twocharacters of the same gender, I would have specified a name. But because theywere different genders, I used “he” instead of a name, because the constantrepetition of names—whether in dialogue or narrative—can become tiring for thereader. If you’ll notice, the second example of dialogue now has a much betterpacing with the changes we’ve made.
  1. Using a Dialogue Tag Instead of a Descriptive Tag.
I am a huge fanof the descriptive tag. They help keep the reader in the room with yourcharacters, so your characters don’t end up as talking heads. They reveal ticsabout your characters (for example, revealing that your heroine bounces her legwhen she lies). They help to avoid repetition of dialogue tags over a long stretchof dialogue. There are several great uses for descriptive tags. However, keepin mind that these tags can easily be overused as well.
Examples ofdescriptive tags:
“I don’t know.” Peter’s hand hovered over thestair banister as he peered into the dark entryway below. “I have a badfeeling about this.”
“Don’t be awuss.” Sheila blew on herfingernails. “It’s probably just the UPS guy.”
  1. Improper Dialogue Tags
I know you mighthave seen these in published books before, but unless your dialogue tag describesthe way someone speaks—their volume, pace, and so forth—then it’s not adialogue tag.
The most commonoffenders I see:
“Sometimes Ireally do hate you,” Peter sighed.
(If you doubt meon this, try saying this sentence while sighing. It doesn’t work.)
“I know,” Sheilasmiled.
This goes forgrinning, giggling, laughing, etc. The proper way to write this would be tochange this from a dialogue tag to a descriptive tag.
“I know.” Sheila smiled.
           
Yes, you cansmile while speaking and even laugh while speaking, but when it comes down toit in terms of writing, a dialogue tag describes how the character speaks,whereas a descriptive tag describes what the character does.
Please note thatthere are a couple of exceptions to this, such as “lied” or “hedged”. But thesedialogue tags tie directly into what the character is saying, so that theycan’t be used apart from the speech itself. You never see: “Sometimes I really do hateyou.” Peter lied. Just as you never see: “Sometimes I really do hate you.” Peter shouted.
  1. Alienating the Reader Through Dialogue Tags
This is more ofa character issue and how you want to present your character to the reader.
For example,let’s say that you write about a strong, independent heroine who knows who sheis and what she wants and has a good head on her shoulders. Then you write thissentence:
“Oh, Mr. Smith,I can’t believe you said that.” Rebecca giggled.
Unless I as thereader know that Rebecca is acting like a silly coquette for a reason, thisdisturbs me. Note that if you leave off the descriptive tag, I can imagine thissentence being said in a number of ways. It’s not the sentence itself thatthrows me off, but the “giggled”.
“Whined” hasthis same effect. Be careful in choosing your words. Just one wrong word canthrow off the reader and destroy character consistency.
Do you recognize any of these issues asthings you need to work on? What other dialogue mistakes have you read inmanuscripts/books that drive you crazy?
Ashley March is a historical romance author who lives in Coloradowith her adoring (or is that adorable?) husband, her two young daughters, andtheir dog. Her latest book, ROMANCING THE COUNTESS, was released in September2011. She won’t be Ashley March for much longer, however; as of January 1,2012, Ashley will become Elise Rome. 

 

 

 

 

“...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.


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 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

 

Can A First Novel Find a Publisher? 10 Do's and Don'ts to Increase Your Chances by Anne R. Allen

Hope everyone had a great weekend! I went to Atlanta for the SEC Championship to support my LSU Tigers and had a fabulous time. I even was on TV in the crowd on EPSN Gameday, which was so much fun.

Now first before we get to our awesome guest blog, I wanted to let y'all know that I'm being interviewed over at August McLaughlin's blog and am talking about blogging, how I got my book deal, and where the idea of CRASH INTO YOU came from. I'd appreciate it if any of you would like to stop by and say hi. :)

Alright, on to the main event...today I have an awesome treat for you guys. Author and blogger Anne R. Allen is here to talk about how to give your first novel a fighting chance. If you haven't heard of Anne, where the heck have you been? Anne has one of the best blogs for writers out there. Even in my I-don't-have-time-to-read-blogs-like-I-used-to manic state, I still make sure to visit Anne's every week. She always has great nuggets of wisdom to impart.


And though I haven't had the chance to start reading her books yet, I have no doubt her novels are going to be as witty and fun as her blog is. (And her books are about writers so how could we not love that?) So without further ado, here's Anne...



Can a First Novel Find a Publisher? 10 Do’s and Don’tsto Increase your Chances
by Anne R. Allen

It’sa sad truth that most first novels never see print. Editors call them “practicenovels.”

Likeany other profession, writing requires a long learning process, and most of ushave to write two or three or six novels before we get the hang of it.

Butsome writers DO get top agents and Big Six publishing contracts with theirfirst books. I’ve gathered a few tips that might give you a better chance inthe marketplace.

Pleasenote: These aren’t “right and wrong” rules of writing. They are guidelines formaking your book easier to sell.

Mostof us don’t know when we’re starting out that certain things are going tored-flag us as amateurs, and/or turn out to be so difficult, there’s a muchsmaller chance of doing it right. I don’t recommend doing what I did—spendingten years on a saga that was so ambitious, even a pro would have had troublepulling it off.

Theseare a few tips I’ve learned the hard way:

1) DO writein a genre that’s being read. You may have always dreamedof writing a sweeping Micheneresque saga, a Zane Grey western, or astream-of-consciousness Kerouac ramble, but the sad truth is it’s not likely tofind an audience. Publishing has fashion cycles.

I’mnot telling you to follow every hot trend—what’s sizzling now will be over bythe time you’ve got the book finished—but do be aware of what might be a toughsell down the road.

Self-publishinghas opened up a way to reach readers who enjoy older genres, so trend-watchingisn’t as important if you’re not trying to market to New York, but even if youself-publish, you want to be aware of what most readers are going to be lookingfor.

Thetruth is that consumers tend to be sheep, so it’s good to know where the flocksare doing their munching right now. It helps to read book reviews and be awareof what’s out there. Visit your local bookstore and book blogs often and read,read, read.

2) DON’Twrite a novel that imitates a screenplay. If you’re under 65, youprobably have the TV screenplay format seared into your subconscious. Thismeans that when you’re writing a first novel, you have stuff to unlearn. In anovel, we don’t have to rely so heavily on what the characters say. In fact,they often don’t say what they’re feeling at all.

Areader perceives the action from INSIDE the head of the character/s rather thanviewing it from OUTSIDE. In a movie, we’re peeping toms, watching the actionthrough a camera lens; in a novel, we’re experiencing it. A novel is amindscape, not a landscape.

3) DOavoid an omniscient point of view or constant head-hopping. Choose fewerthan three point-of-view characters and you’ll save yourself a ton of grief.Omniscient and multiple points of view aren’t “wrong” but they’re consideredold-fashioned (at least in women’s fiction, mystery, and romance) and are toughto do well. They tend to slow and confuse the reader (and turn off agents,according to a lot of blogs.)

Themost common point of view in contemporary fiction is third person limited. Thatmeans you stay in the head of one character and see the world through his/hereyes for his section or chapter of the book. Even though you use “he/she” insteadof “I” the narrative allows you to see inside the head of that character, justlike first person.

Firstperson is probably most common in YA fiction, and is increasingly popular inadult fiction as well. First person is often good for a first-time novelist,because it keeps the writer from head-hopping or slipping into omniscientviewpoints.

4) DON’Tdepend on a prologue to initiate tension. There’s much debate aboutprologues out here in the blogosphere, but a vast majority of agents andeditors dislike them. Myblogpost on prologues is here. Prologues aren’t wrong. But they maykeep you from getting traditionally published, so if you can put that informationin chapter one, do try that in your final edit.

5) DOmake sure your story has one protagonist. There has to be one maincharacter. Equality is ideal in the real world, but in narrative, one personhas to dominate. If another character walks in and tries to take over, tell heryou’ll put her in a short story later. Otherwise, change the focus of yournovel. (Not always a bad idea. Sometimes we start with the wrong point-of-viewcharacter.)

6) DON’Tchoose a protagonist who’s easily satisfied. Your main character hasto want something. Badly. Satisfied people make lovely companions, but assoon as your characters get what they want, your story is over.

7)DO make sure your novel has an antagonist. This isn’t necessarily amustache-twirling villain. It can be a situation, a disease, or societyitself—anything strong enough to thwart your character’s goals. Make sure yourantagonist is powerful enough to provide conflict for the whole narrative—notjust each episode. The wonderful blogger Kristen Lamb has a whole serieson antagonists (she calls them the Big Boss Troublemakers.) It’s amust-read for anybody who has trouble with episodic storytelling (which I didfor years.)

8) DON’Tput something in a novel just “because that’s the way it really happened.” Evenif your story is based on your own experiences, remember real life ismostly boring. That’s why we read fiction.

9)DO activate your inner sadist. Never let your characters get what theyneed. Throw as many obstacles into their path as possible. Hurt them. Maimthem. Give them cruel parents and girlfriends who are preparing to kill themfor alien lizard food. It’s OK. You’ll solve their problems in the end. Thenwon’t you feel good?

10)DON’T rely on flashbacks. Overuse of flashbacks is the mark of a newbie.They stop the forward momentum of your story and make us feel as if we’reslipping backward. Again to quote KristenLamb, “this makes the reader feel as if she is trapped in the car with ateenager learning to drive a stick-shift.” 

Irepeat—none of these “don’ts” are wrong. But they will stand in yourway, especially if you’re going the traditional publishing route. As the late,great Miss Snark used to say: “why shoot yourself in the font?”

(from Roni): Any first novel war stories anyone wants to share? (I know my first novel was dead in the water and is now hanging out with the monsters under my bed.) Have you seen any of these don'ts creeping into your book? Any first novel success stories?


********
Anne R. Allen is the author of five comic mysteries debuting in 2011 with two publishers: Popcorn Press and Mark Williams international Digital Publishing. FOOD OF LOVE (September 2011) THE GATSBY GAME (October 2011) GHOSTWRITERS IN THE SKY (October 2011) and SHERWOOD, LTD (December 2011) and THE BEST REVENGE (December 2011) She is also working on a self-help guide for writers with PAY IT FORWARD author Catherine Ryan Hyde. Anne has a popular blog for writers at http://annerallen.blogspot.com, where she blogs with NYT bestselling author, Ruth Harris.

Her first Camilla Randall mystery (but not her first novel, alas) GHOSTWRITERSIN THE SKY debuted in ebook on October 31st with MWiDP and willbe available in paper from Popcorn Press in January. It’s murder and mayhem ata writer’s conference in the “Sideways” wine-and-cattle country north of SantaBarbara, CA. It’s full of fun insider jokes for writers: there’s the bogusagent who’s really a blackmailer, the pompous poet who hasn’t written in years,and the romance writer who tries to live her own fantasies. Plus a hard-riding,straight-shooting, cross-dressing dominatrix named Marva who turns out to be thesanest person around.

AnneR. Allen Website  
Author page at Amazon.com
PopcornPress 
MarkWilliams International Digital Publishing 

"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 for pre-order!
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 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

Fill-Me-In-Friday - The Best Writing Links of the Week!

 

It's that time of week where I round up my favorite posts (and shamelessly re-pimp my own). Hope you all enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

 

On Writing and Publishing:

Writers Must Write First by Susan Kaye Quinn

The Number One Overlooked Skill for Every Author by Writer Unboxed

Reasons Not To Self-Publish in 2011-2012 at The Millions

Platform and Social Media Must Not Be Your Center by Jane Friedman

The New Media Melee - 5 Indisputable Truths of Author Marketing by Idyll Conversation

Can SEO Help You Sell More Books? by The Creative Penn

Is the Traditional Book Dead? by Jim Devitt

My Twitter Retweeting Policy by John Scalzi

Are You Blogging to the Wrong Audience? by Meghan Ward

When Do Readers Trust You? by C. Hope Clark

What You May Have Missed Here: 

 

by Sierra Godfrey
What You Missed on the Author Blog:
Those were some of my favorites, what were some of yours?

 

 

 

“...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.


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 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

 

How Low Can You Go? The Important All Is Lost Moment by Sierra Godfrey

It's guest post Monday! Today the lovely and infinitely wise Sierra Godfrey leads us through that dark black part of our manuscript where we go all sadistic on our characters. Fun times!


Over to you, Sierra...


How Low Can You Go? The Important All Is Lost Moment
by Sierra Godfrey

In women’s fiction, one of the main story features is the transformative journey our main characters usually go through, which ultimately ends in self-realization and a life change by the end of the story. But getting to that resolution first requires our gals to go through some tough times and situations. And it’s our job to put them through the literary wringer.

 In plot structure, one of the hardest moments in a character’s transformative process is the All is Lost point—also called the Dark Moment, or the point about ¾ of the way through the story when after everything our girl has been through, she’s lost. She’s defeated, broken, and there’s nothing left. The All is Lost point comes after the midpoint, and is the point at which our girl will fall, and then ultimately gather herself up and head into the finale where she’ll (ideally) take back the day and win. (The All is Lost moment really applies for any genre of fiction--must apply, really--but in women's fic, it's especially important in our heroine's journey.)

In the movie Bridesmaids, the midpoint of the story comes when main character Annie snaps spectacularly at the bridal shower. She throws things, swears a lot, and makes a massive scene--all in public. Her behavior is the culmination of lots of tension, and she lets it all out. After Annie storms out of the shower, her car’s pesky broken taillight (the one she was told to fix repeatedly) causes an accident and she gets stranded (which is bad). Worse, she calls the only person she can think of, the smarmy guy she was dating/sleeping with, who greets her with possibly the most insulting greeting ever—“Hi F- Buddy!” Worse, he does this right in front of the nice Irish cop Annie’s been sort of dating. Oooh. Ouch.

Cop leaves Annie, and Annie has no choice but to go with smarmy F- Buddy guy. He continues to be obnoxious, and she gets out of his car and has to walk home. It’s the movie’s All is Lost point. Annie has lost her friends, her place in the bridal party (let alone maid of honor position), her car, her Irish cop, even her smarmy her F-Buddy. The next few scenes see Annie really take in the despair of this moment by lying on the couch in misery and watching TV.You need this All is Lost point in a story so your heroine can sink as low as she can go before she can rise again. It’s a natural story dip. Your job is to make this moment as low as possible. Take everything away from your character that you can—everything that matters.


Your All is Lost moment should:

  • Feel like the heroine’s lowest emotional point in the whole story—she should die inside a little.
  • Be a huge blow to every goal the heroine’s been trying to achieve.
  • Happen after the character has resisted hard against every obstacle.
  • Take away things from the heroine and leave her bereft.
In general, the lower you go, the better the high of the bounce back up will be, and the more satisfying the story’s conclusion.Let’s look at a few more All is Lost moments:
  • In the movie Tangled, Rapunzel and Flynn finally come together and are sharing a loving moment out on a boat. But then Rapunzel’s evil mother tricks her, and takes Rapunzel back in (in a great display of maternal guilt tripping) and Rapunzel is heartbroken and bitter, and has lost her freedom and her love. Flynn is also captured by the mother’s henchmen and tied up in a boat so palace guards will capture him. For both Rapunzel and Flynn, all they’ve fought for has been lost.
  • In Pride and Prejudice, the All is Lost point can be hard to pick out. It initially looks like the point after Elizabeth hears the news that her naughty sister Lydia ran off with the equally naughty Mr. Wickham, wreaking general disgrace and havoc on the Bennett family. Elizabeth thinks Lydia’s disgrace will cause Elizabeth to end her acquaintance with Mr. Darcy. But in fact the real All is Lost moment comes when Mr. Darcy’s stink-face aunt, Lady Catherine, visit Elizabeth and tells her to renounce Mr. Darcy and that he’s engaged to her own daughter, Anne. Elizabeth goes for a walk, unable to sleep. Of course, she meets Darcy on that walk, but that walk is your moment. (Austen clearly knew about modern plot structure way back in 1813!)
In the story I'm working on now, I just took away my girl's house, fiance, and job--and for good measure, I let her see that someone had been tricking her for most of the book. And I loved doing it.

What are some of the low All is Lost moments you've put your character through?

About Sierra:
Sierra has enjoyed crafting stories for as long as she can remember. She especially likes stories that feature women who grow from the choices they face—and get the guy at the end. She’s a member of RWA and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, two little boys, and two annoying cats. In her spare time she works as a freelance graphic designer and technical writer. To the untrained eye she can appear somewhat sassy, but at heart she loves a good story and is really quite sweet, especially when the lighting is right. Visit Sierra at her blog or on Twitter.

Fill-Me-In Friday: Best Links of the Week

 

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I'm currently in a carb coma, but I tried to be lucid enough to give you my favorite links of the week. :)

 

Enjoy!

On Writing and Publishing:

How I Went From Writing 2k a Day to 10k a Day by Rachel Aaron (don't know if I can pull off 10k a day, but great tips)

A Social Media Survival Guide by Jenn Reese (LOVE the idea of everyone having their own guide and to not put your own expectations on others.)

How To Build a Blog Following From the Ground Up by Jody Hedlund

Amazon Reader Reviews: 12 Things Everybody and Their Grandmother Needs to Know by Anne R. Allen

Ten Things I Dislike About Your Blog by Story Siren

For Gits and Shiggles:

Five Things Romance Writers Should Know About Vaginas by Kat Latham

VIDEO: An argument via Siri. (This one is R-rated for language, so be warned it's NSFW). Found via Allison Pang's Blog

 


 

What You May Have Missed on the Author Blog:

 

What You May Have Missed Here:
by Suzanne Johnson

Favorite Tumblr of the Week:
Ryan Gosling in the rain, click here for more wet Ryan pics :)
Oh, and did you hear my news?
CRASH INTO YOU was given 4 stars by RT Book Reviews Magazine!
"After reading Loren's book of bondage and love, readers will race out for their own handcuffs and whips."
Yeah, buddy. :) AND I've been interviewed in Writer's Digest magazine's Breaking In section. So if you pick up a copy, check it out! :)
Hope everyone has a great weekend! (Unless you're an Arkansas football fan. Then I hope you have a really bad Friday. ;) Geaux Tigers!)


 

 

 

 

"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.

 


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 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

 

3 Things You Can Do Now to Prepare for Published Authorhood

Like anything else, being a writer is a journey. You go through stages. Some exciting, some frustrating, some overwhelming. Right now I'm in my about-to-debut phase, which is a combination of so many emotions I can't even describe it. It's the deep breath before the moment I've been waiting for since the day I put words on a page again.

And as I get closer and closer to that day, I feel my world continue to shift beneath my feet. Priorities change. New obligations get put on my plate. Blog tours get planned. Deadlines loom. I have a JOB. It's a vastly different playing field than it was a little over a year ago when I was in my "write when I'm inspired, blog like a maniac, live on twitter" existence.

So if you're on your own journey, hoping to get to the published stage, here are the things I'd pass along...

3 Things You Can Do To Prepare for Published Authorhood

 

1. Train for writing to be your JOB. 

Enjoy the fact that you can write only when/if you want to right now with no pressure. BUT start training yourself to be a working writer early. Once you have deadlines (which for me means having 4-6 months to write a 90-100k book), you need to know how to make yourself write even if your muse is on a bender in Tahiti.

2. Being the BEST ONLINE FRIEND EVER is not going to be realistic once you're steadily publishing so learn to let go of the guilt.

In the beginning, you comment on everyone's blog who comments on yours. You visit everyone in your blog roll. You retweet all your favorite posts. You blog five days a week and it's amazing. You respond to every comment you get. This is great. It helps you build up a network of support and friendship.
BUT when the wheels start to spin faster in your writing life, something has to give if you want to make sure your time is spent  writing your next book (or like seeing your family and stuff) and often blogging intensity is what falls off first. You can still maintain your own, but it gets harder and harder to visit everyone else. Give yourself permission to not be wracked with guilt when this happens.

3. Find your balance and know your limits.

I'm learning that balance is going to be the make it or break it component for me. I'm an all-in kind of girl. I don't want to do anything half-assed so I throw myself into things completely. But doing that in one area can create imbalance in other parts of your life. All you do is write, so you forget to read. Or all you do is blog and forget to write. Or you keep skipping that trip to the gym because you have more "important" things to do than take care of your health (I fall victim to this one all the time). Or you blog, write, and read but your poor family hasn't really "seen" you in a week. 
So learn how to manage your time and not cut out the things that are important.
This is why you may not have seen me chatting as much on Twitter. It's also why I've invited regular guests to blog here these last few months and why I do a round-up post on Friday. Blogging is important to me, but the level I was doing it at was cutting out time for other things.  
So I'm working towards my own balance. I'm holding myself accountable for writing at least 1k words every week day in order to meet my deadlines. I'm going to yoga classes to give myself quiet-mind time and exercise. I'm shutting my computer off at night so I can spend time with the fam. I'm reading for pleasure at least 3-4 times a week. And even though I still have a lot going on, I feel much happier.

Everyone is going to have their different challenges, but my guess is that these three are pretty universal. I wouldn't trade a minute of it because my dream of having my book published is coming true. But it's important to make sure we don't lose our mind in the process. :)

So what are your biggest challenges right now? Do you think you're prepared to be a writer working on a deadline? For those of you who are published or about to be, have you felt that big shift in priorities? What balls do you drop first?

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who celebrate it!

Debut-a-Phobia: The Fear of People Actually Reading Your Book

 So I'm officially about a month and a half out from CRASH INTO YOU's release. I can't even tell you how excited I am. My book is finally going to be on shelves! It feels like forever since I signed the deal in October 2010. (Though in some ways, it feels like only yesterday.)

 

But I have to say one of the other emotions I'm going through is the occasional freak out that -- oh crap, real people are actually going to READ my book. This particular freak out is littered with any number of insecurities. Mainly, what if everyone hates it? What if my agent and editor were just having an off day when they decided they loved my book? What if it only sells twenty copies, the amount my family will probably buy?

Oh, and speaking of family, here comes oh-crap-moment number two--my family and people I know in real life are going to read my erotic romance. Ahh! There are curse words and bondage and sadomasochism and lots of nakedness. Yes, all those things are part of a romance and a suspense plot and a story about healing, but I'm afraid those who know me are only going to focus on the NC-17 stuff.

I know that people in my life understand that this is going to be an erotic romance, but I don't know if they've wrapped their heads around that totally because they've never read in the genre. And it's going to come out of left field for many of them because I'm not the "kind of girl" who you would expect to write a super sexy book. I don't even curse in front of anyone but my closest friends.

But that's simply because I'm a quiet, private person who plays my cards close to the vest. I only fully relax around a few people. So those who aren't in that close circle just make their own assumptions. And boy do people make lots of assumptions about quiet people.

Therefore, this whole experience is going to be interesting in a lot of ways. Not only am I opening up my writing for public opinion but I'm also opening myself up for people to make up all kinds of new assumptions about me--some that may be accurate and many that will be totally false.

But at the end of the day, this is what I signed up for. Regardless of whether you write romance or cozy mysteries or stories about aliens, writing is a deeply personal act that exposes the writer. There's no way around that. Regardless of the plot, your blood is on the page. It's the occupational hazard of good writing.

Hopefully we all survive it, lol.

So how about you? Even though you want to be published, do you fear people reading your words? Do you ever feel exposed in certain parts of your manuscript--a bit of dialogue or emotion that echoes something in your own life? Do you make assumptions about writers based on their books? Do you worry about your family reading your work?

 

 

 

"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.


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 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

 

Letting Your Character in on the Secret by Ashley March

It's Monday again and time for one of our regular guests--the lovely and insightful Ashley March. Today she's giving us a great idea on how to turn some tropes on their head.


Take it away, Ashley...

Letting Your Character in on the Secret 
by Ashley March

Awhile ago I had the pleasure of reading Julie Anne Long’s most recenthistorical, What I Did For a Duke. I say it was a pleasure because not only amI a huge JAL fan (if you haven’t read her work already, please do so—you’remissing out), but also because this was the first book I ever remember readingwhere as soon as I finished I wanted to start over again.
Butthat’s from a reader’s point-of-view. From a writer’s point-of-view, whatreally struck me about this book is that although it could have been a typicalrevenge plot where the hero gets back at the heroine’s brother by breaking theheroine’s heart, (warning! partial spoiler below)

Ms.Long instead surprised me partway through the book by having the heroinerealize that this was the hero’s intention. I admit it, I was stunned. Here Iwas, sure that the hero would succeed in his plans, make the heroine fall inlove with him (while he falls in love with her, of course), and then at the endwhen she finds out what his true intentions were from the beginning, therewould be drama (!) and angst (!). Yet Ms. Long completely turns thatpredictable plot upside down by having the heroine figure out the hero’sintentions before he could break her heart.

Whatdid this do?
1)     Mostimportantly, I was even more excited to continue reading than I had beenbefore, because now I had no idea what to expect.
2)     Itmade me believe that the heroine was an equal match for the hero, which isn’talways the case with plots like this.
3)     Itmade me even more envious of Ms. Long’s genius.
Italso, however, made me wonder why we writers sometimes choose to take the easyway out. Is it because we’ve read certain tropes before and know that they cansucceed, thus we want to emulate their success for ourselves? Or is it becausewhen we brainstorm ideas, we choose something from the first three options,never daring to explore beyond the predictable?
Icould challenge you to copy from Ms. Long by choosing a common plot device andthen turning its on its head to make it unique—and I’m sure each of us couldfind a way to do that without much effort. (Throw in a rabbit here, a redherring there.)
Butinstead, I’m going to challenge you to dig a bit further. Specifically, whatcharacter(s) can you give knowledge to of an event/person/thing, etc. that iscurrently ignorant of that event/person/thing as the story stands? For you see,giving your character knowledge—whether he chooses to reveal it to anyone elseor not—makes him stronger and smarter in the reader’s eye, and it also makesthe story more complex and fresh.
Thinkof the heroine dressing up as a man and becoming the hero’s best friend. Whatif the hero knows the heroine is pretending, instead of questioning why he’ssuddenly experiencing sexual awareness toward a member of the same sex whenhe’s never done so before? (I have to admit, I like my heroes to be smart,too.)
Thinkof two ex-lovers reunited by circumstance. Instead of them both being attractedto each other still and constantly questioning whether the other person lovesthem, have one of the characters confident of their love being reciprocated.What other reason would they have to keep them at a distance?
Theseare just a couple of examples off the top of my head, and I’m sure you can comeup with better ideas when you look at your specific characters. Figure out whatthey currently don’t know (this could be about anything), then change it so thatthey do know. This can deepen notonly your characters and your story, but also create something that might oneday make your readers stand in awe and rave about your incomparable genius.(Here’s to you, Ms. Long. J )
What other book(s) can you think ofwhere a character’s knowledge turned what could have been a predictable plotinto something astounding?
AshleyMarch is a historical romance author who lives in Colorado with her adoring (oris that adorable?) husband, her two young daughters, and their dog. Her latestbook, ROMANCING THE COUNTESS, was released by NAL Penguin in September 2011,and she is currently psychoanalyzing the characters of her next two projects:the story of Joanna and Ethan, two secondary characters from her Victoriandebut; and the first book in a series set in 1920s Long Island.

 

 


“...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.


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 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

 

Fill-Me-In Friday: Best Links of the Week!

 

Been busy? Haven't had time to hang out on Twitter or catch up with your blog reader? Well, Fill-Me-In-Friday is here to help. This is where I post the best writing, publishing, and just for fun links of the week.
On Writing/Publishing:
50 Problem Words and Phrases by Daily Writing Tips
Social Media - What's It Good For? by Jen's Book Thoughts

What Makes a Dream Author by Editorial Ass
Social Media Ennui by Kait Nolan and related to that...
Klout's BIG Mistake by the Marketing M8
5 Reasons You Should Write Like a Speed Demon by the Fearless Self-Publisher

 

For Gits and Shiggles:

The Deleted Harry Potter Character by College Humor

More Brilliantly Sarcastic Responses to Well-Meaning Signs via Happy Place

20 Biggest Idiots on Facebook via Smosh

Angelina Jolie Halloween Costume (hilarious and disturbing at the same time) via G4 tv

Parents Jokes and Quotes: Great Truths About Life via Berkeley Parents

Best Catch Ever? via Dump

Mind = Blown via I Can Has Internets

What You May Have Missed on my Author Blog:


What You May Have Missed Here:

by Ashley March
Favorite Tumblr Pic of the Week:
Click here for full size
That's what I've got for the week. What were some of your favorites this week?


 

 

"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 for pre-order!

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 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

 

Fill-Me-In Friday

 


It's time for Fill-Me-In-Friday where I share my favorite links of the week. Hope you enjoy!
On Writing/Publishing:
The Dark Side of Metrics by Kristen Lamb
Get in Late, Get Out Early - A Writing Tip by Bryan Thomas Schmidt
Google Now Alerts for Books by The Digital Shift
QR Codes, The New Sexy by Jenny Hansen
Do Writers Need to Think About SEO? by Erin MacPherson (via Rachelle Gardner's blog)
How To Make Your Own Book Trailer by Jungle Red Writers
Just For Fun:
Yoga, Jersey Style by JM Randolph
Wendigisms compiled by Todd Moody 
What You May Have Missed Here:

by Sierra Godfrey
by Mina Khan
What You Missed on my Author Blog:

 
(even if you're an 80s purist like me)

Favorites from Tumblr this Week:
(for bigger pic, click here)
(for bigger pic, click here)
(for bigger, click here)
Alright, so those are my favorite links of the week, what were some of yours? 

Hope everyone has a fantastic Halloween!

 

 

 

 

"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 for pre-order!

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 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|