tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67973228017830236312024-02-21T14:47:52.691-08:00Writers' LoungeWriters’ Loungehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162308364869452418noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797322801783023631.post-85044245442612597702018-03-08T16:04:00.002-08:002018-03-09T12:34:08.334-08:00Crafting an Indie Book Trailer, Part Three<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Titillium+Web" rel="stylesheet"></link>
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<span style="font-family: "titillium web" , sans-serif; font-size: 30px;">by T G Campbell</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "titillium web" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><b>Part Three: Script and Storyboard.</b></span></div>
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<span style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="font-family: "titillium web" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">I’m not a scriptwriter. I want to make that absolutely clear from the start, in case you were thinking I was some sort of Goddess with miraculous writing abilities. I write novels and short stories. As those who’ve attempted to write a book and a screenplay can attest, they are two very different beasts. In addition to dialogue and descriptions, a screenplay must also take into consideration camera angles, sound effects, musical scores, locations (both interior and exterior), lighting, costumes, etc. For me, the hardest part of writing a script for my book trailer was getting into the mindset of a screenwriter in the first place. I wanted to write a highly developed scene like in one of my books, rather than a condensed version to fit within the space of three minutes.<br /><br />Part of my difficulty came from a desire to promote the entire series of Bow Street Society books/short stories. At the time of writing, there are two books and a collection of five short stories published. Any attempt to fit such a wealth of material into a three-minute book trailer was always destined to fail. I was trying to plan the trailer with the idea of “reusability” in mind. If I could make a trailer for the series—rather than just one book—then I could keep it as part of my marketing plan indefinitely. For the sake of practicality, and my own sanity, I chose to concentrate on the first book in the series: <i>The Case of The Curious Client</i>. As this would be the point at which most readers would be introduced to the concept of the Bow Street Society, I thought the reusability of the trailer would still be quite high.<br /><br />Another stumbling block in my thought process was cost. One draft of my script featured real-life London streets in the dead of night with 6-8 characters from my book making an appearance. If I were to go along with this script, I’d have to consider: fees for the 6-8 actors, the hiring fees for 6-8 costumes, the cost of hiring lights suitable for outdoor use, the cost of (potentially) closing a public highway, and the cost of any filming permits I may have had to acquire. Needless to say, this draft was abandoned pretty sharpish. <br /><br />I’m fortunate enough to work with someone who has his own freelance scriptwriting business. He’s been a tremendous help to me during this entire process. He’s the one who suggested I create a storyboard alongside the script. He explained it would enable everyone involved to visualise what it was I was trying to achieve. I, therefore, wrote a (very) rough next draft of my script (constructed using actual scenes from my book) and created a storyboard. Just the process of drawing that—albeit crude—storyboard helped me to condense my script down further by taking unnecessary parts out, switching parts around, and generally discussing the overall order with my other friend, Karen. <br /><br />It was during this storyboard creation session that I decided to take advantage of Victorian-era style drawings for the main part of the trailer. Drawings are more cost effective than live action, and the segment (a recollection of past events) lends itself to a drawn sequence. In order to enhance the quality of such a sequence, though, I included zooming and panning camera angles in my storyboard notes. I also stressed the significance of light and shadow in the drawings, to help create the dark, sinister mood of a Victorian-era murder mystery. After creating the crude storyboard, I then re-created it with my notes, alongside a new draft of my script so the two would marry. I decided the beginning and end segments of the trailer would be live action, still, but would only have 2 characters featured: Miss Rebecca Trent (the Bow Street’s Society clerk and therefore a pivotal character in the entire series) and an unnamed journalist interviewing her.<br /><br />Since creating the storyboard and script, I’ve had the illustrations created by my usual artist, Peter Spells, who created the central cover art for all my books. Rather than keeping with the style of those, he emulated the pen and ink style of Victorian-era drawings. I’ve included one of the drawings below as an example. The script has also undergone some minor changes; mostly to include more of an overview of the plot so as to leave the audience wanting more. At the time of writing this, the script is with a voice-over artist who I’ve hired to read it out.<span id="docs-internal-guid-63304e33-080b-15e9-86c0-0a27b380687c"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><span id="docs-internal-guid-63304e33-080b-15e9-86c0-0a27b380687c"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="551" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/bJ9E8a_l5WSct17CGQhCRmoeD4paKG-3W4IC9_PfZCngfbL0cIGpReIgRiQqsTwf5h2mzh8YjsSBiK7qwduPKIL2miO9LdF9GCmclWov-t2FvNo8sMp86ICljRVeGqh66Q1VCiUZrvfZQTWImQ" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="640" /></span></span><br /><span id="docs-internal-guid-63304e33-080b-15e9-86c0-0a27b380687c"></span><br />The most important thing to remember is your storyboard and script is fluid documents. You don’t have to get them 100% right from the beginning. As more people are brought onto the project—cameraman, voiceover artist etc.—you’ll all make small changes, to both the storyboard and script, with the aim of enhancing the final trailer. Utilise their expertise and always bear in mind what it is you’re trying to do with your trailer. It’s not a feature-length film, but a brief, visual representation of your product (the book), designed to convince the viewer to part with their hard-earned cash. Unfortunately, people won’t always buy your book simply because you’re an independent author. You have to prove to them, by showing them, why YOUR book is different to everything else that’s on the market. <br /><br />For those who are unsure about the (sort of) format your script should be in, I’ve included a screenshot of part of my script below:<span id="docs-internal-guid-63304e33-080e-9d26-641c-0ed491a31da0"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="422" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/gAVGtQcI_jJ79z3YbwWGb4zbxh24Dk2ldaSGHPW82xFtIqKBu2B0S7jX5L7IuFjXjhrTtOhNGbuY86EtLy7bZriZm-uMb4a6UcjQF4_B1LaiR_CWnhAblPWTmCTX9QhLpgtN6P_pzpo8dc6oYQ" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="640" /></span></span><br />NEXT TIME: CREATING AN INDIE BOOK TRAILER Part Four: Choosing a location</span></div>
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<a href="http://writersloungeblog.blogspot.com/p/t-g-campbell.html"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="672" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtpQpHgFr8gG6Y78ItEtGEYbDHWY9Bjy9Ikp9_ciYAUyCdy5R7f-RFt3Awjdlg7psNHJ4Jf857xP1-Qd81bQzIluWx_Z9XoZRpGZ9jn3u8Tz-yQd9fAnwruxmWcC1wsIVu-OesiQ-diHk/s640/T+G+Name+Card.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Writers’ Loungehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162308364869452418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797322801783023631.post-15548199648415039902018-03-01T04:00:00.000-08:002018-03-01T04:00:10.921-08:00Creating an Indie Book Trailer, Part Two<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Titillium+Web" rel="stylesheet">
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<span style="font-family: 'Titillium Web', sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><b>Part Two: The Power of Networking.</b></span></div><br /><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Titillium Web', sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">“It’s not WHAT you know, but WHO you know that counts,” is a phrase often muttered under our breath whenever we perceive the success of others as a result of their friend’s/partner’s/relative’s assistance. The perception usually leaves a bitter taste in one’s mouth—especially if one doesn’t have the same access to these individuals as the other person. We may feel disillusioned with—or even cheated out of—our dreams and ambitions because we’ll never have the same advantages. Contrary to what you may be thinking, I’m not going to patronise you by saying some individuals aren’t given unfair advantages over their peers due to help from a relative etc. Rightly or wrongly, these things <i>do</i> happen but, if you’re <i>truly</i> honest with yourself, you’d probably agree you’d accept such assistance if it meant getting ahead of the competition. I, therefore, want to leave this way of thinking here and politely request you do the same. This blog entry isn’t about the help we <i>can’t</i> get from others, but the help we <i>can</i>.
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<span style="font-family: 'Titillium Web', sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">In part one I talked about creating a blockbuster book trailer on a restricted, financial budget. A large part of being able to do this is to enlist the help of others who are willing to offer their services either for free or at a reduced price. That being said, you have to remember we are all trying to make a living. You, therefore, can’t demand someone gives you their service for free. You may make a request, though, and offer a product/service of your own in return. On a very basic level, this may be an entry into your trailer’s final credits, accompanying description, and promotional material. By doing this, you’ll be offering the potential contributor free exposure to them and their business. </span></div><br /><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Titillium Web', sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Personally, I think it’s sound business practice to <i>always </i>offer this reward to your contributors, regardless if you’re paying them or not. Aside from being the proper thing to do (you should <i>never</i> take credit for another’s work), you’re creating a solid working relationship with that contributor so you may draw upon their services/products again in the future. Put simply, it’s the old adage of “if you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours”. This principle is at the heart of <i>all </i>business networking activity. At the end of the day, you <i>are </i>a business and your books are your products. So, you should treat all your activities with professionalism and care.</span></div><br /><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Titillium Web', sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">If you’re rude, defensive, deceptive, or devious, or make unreasonable or impractical demands/slander a contributor’s name on your social media platforms, <i>no one</i> will want to work with you. Others—who you’ve yet to contact—may witness your behaviour first hand on social media and run a mile. Likewise, most creatives in the industry (regardless of their business type or profession) know one another. Even if they don’t communicate directly with each other, rumours about unprofessionalism and personal attacks can spread like wildfire. (Look at the situation with Terry Goodkind that is happening right now, for example. -G Dean Manuel) So, even if you decide <i>not</i> to hire a potential contributor because you think their prices are too high, etc., decline their offer as politely, and as professionally, as possible. <i>Never</i> make it personal.
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<span style="font-family: 'Titillium Web', sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Returning to my earlier point about what you may offer to a potential contributor, I think it’s always wise to throw into the mix something no one else can offer. Remaining within the realm of professional business practises, you could consider offering a free interview on your blog, or a feature in your newsletter (dependent on how many subscribers you have). I write a monthly feature for Fresh Lifestyle Magazine, in addition to my books and short stories. The magazine has 400,000+ subscribers, and all features are left, permanently, on the magazine’s website. I will, therefore, offer a free interview/feature to potential contributors when negotiating prices for their service.</span></div><br /><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Titillium Web', sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">As a side note, I’d always recommend you <i>don’t</i> state your financial budget in initial correspondence to potential contributors. In your initial email, always explain who you are, which product/service of theirs you’re enquiring about, which additional (non-monetary) rewards you can offer, and what you intend to use said product/service for. Then request a quote based on the information you’ve given. If the potential contributor is interested, they’ll reply with the price they think their product/service is worth. If you then decide to decline the offer, you have no reason to clarify your exact budget. If you decide to try and negotiate on the price, then you could state your budget but I still think it unnecessary. The most important thing is to keep your response professional and <i>not</i> beg for the product/service to be given for free/at a reduced price simply because you’re an indie author and you’re poor. A simple “is there any room for negotiation in your prices, given the additional exposure I may give you?” should suffice. If the response is a no, then politely thank them for their time and inform them you shan’t be hiring them on this occasion. </span></div><br /><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Titillium Web', sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">When trying to find potential contributors, it’s always wise to ask around. Facebook friends, Twitter followers, fellow authors, relatives, work colleagues, and partners are excellent resources to draw upon. Twitter followers, especially, may provide you with the names of potential contributors you’d never considered before. Unknown/fledgling artists, composers, voice over actors, and editors, etc., are more willing to give their service/product for free/at a reduced fee provided you give permission for them to use the finished product on their showreels, websites etc. Websites like www.fiverr.com and www.fivesquid.com are also good starting points, as there’s already the expectation of a low fee between both parties. I’ve recently been researching voice over actors for my book trailer on www.fivesquid.com. They’re still professionals, but their fees won’t break the bank—provided I contact them through the website, of course. </span></div><br /><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Titillium Web', sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Always be wary of charlatans when researching potential contributors. When they have given you a quote for their service, ask yourself “is it value for money?” Research industry pricing standards to give you a yardstick to compare the quotes against. Check the websites of potential contributors, but don’t accept what’s written at face value. Look up non-biased, independent reviews from past customers, fellow industry professionals, etc. about the potential contributor; are there any negative reviews? How relevant are the reviews to your project? How up-to-date is the potential contributors’ website? How recent was their last job? You may have thousands in your book trailer’s budget, but that doesn’t mean you should spend money like it’s going out of fashion.</span></div><br /><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Titillium Web', sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Finally, think outside the box when researching potential contributors. I have a local museum with a Victorian-era parlour permanently set up. I need a Victorian-era interior for my book trailer. Rather than hiring/buying expensive antiques, therefore, and/or building my own set, I contacted the museum about hiring theirs. At the point of writing this, they’ve agreed for me to hire it for free—even if I require it out of hours. They also offered two more interiors, should I need them. </span></div><br /><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Titillium Web', sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">At the end of the day, there’s no harm in enquiring after a quote for your costumes, editing, original music, locations, etc. from potential contributors and/or local businesses. They may be too pricey, they may decline, or they may just surprise you and offer their product and service for free/at a reduced cost. You won’t know for sure, though, until you ask and, remember, keep it professional!</span></div><br /><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Titillium Web', sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><b>NEXT TIME: CREATING AN INDIE BOOK TRAILER Part Three: Script and Storyboard.</b></span></div><br /><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Titillium Web', sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">T G Campbell is a crime novelist that resides in Modern Day England,
though she'd probably wanted to have lived in Victorian London. She is best known for her Bowstreet Society mysteries. You can find out more about T G <a href="http://writersloungeblog.blogspot.com/p/t-g-campbell.html">here</a>.</span></div><br /><br />Writers’ Loungehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162308364869452418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797322801783023631.post-88954295896926472032018-02-27T04:00:00.000-08:002018-02-27T04:00:02.200-08:00Not Your Daddy's Undead! (Possibly Your Great-great-great-granddaddy's Undead!)<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Source+Sans+Pro" rel="stylesheet"></link>
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<span style="font-family: "source sans pro" , sans-serif; font-size: 30px;"> by G Dean Manuel</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "source sans pro" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Have you noticed that only some undead beasts are ever represented in any meaningful way? Vampires, of course. You can't spit without hitting someone writing a vampire story. Zombies are popular. But what about variety? Shouldn't we see more undead than the few that are represented on the big screen or the pages of a book? Here are a few that I think we should give a resurgence to: </span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "source sans pro" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><b>Banshee</b>- the wailing woman. A banshee's keening denotes the death of a family member. Several banshees keening foretells the death of someone particularly important or holy. A banshee's wailing can also warn that death is likely from a current endeavor.<br /><br />Why are these creatures feared? They warn us against bad happenings. Now modern retellings say that hearing a banshee's keening leads to death. Older tales don't support this. Banshees, while called fairy, banshee literally meaning “woman of the fairy mound”, are not technically fairies. They are the ghosts of women who have: a.) died in childbirth b.) have been murdered. Some banshees have been known to attach themselves to family lines, particularly those of Milesian stock (those whose names begin with O' or Mac'). Here are some ideas for stories with banshees:<br /><br />You have never seen your family banshee in such a state. Something has made it go absolutely bonkers. It didn't even act this way when Gran died.<br /><br />You are visited nightly by a woman that looks upon you sadly and wails such a heartbreaking tune. You know that she is trying to warn you about something but you can't for the life of you figure out what.<br /><br />You must gather up the sisters for a most hated duty. The Bishop has died. You and your sisters must keen his lament. But one refuses to go. A dark secret is revealed.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "source sans pro" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><b>Dullahan</b>- is a headless horseman! And you thought it was just a story by Washington Irving. Dullahans are members of the Unseelie Court. In fact, they were created by the court. They are either human or fey sacrifice. Heads are lopped off by golden ax and through rituals turned into a Dullahan. Such creatures typically ride a black horse and are followed by a wagon filled with accouterments of death. Their heads are said to be the consistency and color of moldy cheese and bear a ghastly, idiotic grin from one side to the other. They hold them under one arm, with mouths constantly working and eyes continually searching the night.<br /><br />It is said that there is no way to bar a road against a Dullahan and wherever a Dullahan stops, someone will die. Usually, they stop and say a person's name and that person drops dead on the spot. Here are some story ideas that include Dullahan:<br /><br />What if a Dullahan kills a person only to find out it killed the wrong person? Crazy antics ensue as they try to rectify their mistake!<br /><br />An opportunistic mage is using a Dullahan as an unwitting assassin. Altering its assignments and giving it names of people that he would like dead.<br /><br />A woman is visited by a Dullahan. She breaks down and tears and thanks him. He doesn't know what to do.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "source sans pro" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><b>Lich</b>- A lich is a creature of such indomitable will that its life continued on to undeath. A lich can be almost anyone in life but is normally a person of arcane power. Sorcerers and warlocks. Through arcane rituals or demonic deals, they beat death itself and live on as a lich. Liches are commonly seen as commanders of hordes of undead minions. As such they make a great antagonist for stories! What are some ideas?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /><br />A young man finds a broach in an open-aired market while on a trip to Dubai. He intends to give it to his girlfriend as a gift. Unknown to him, it is actually a lich's phylactery (a receptacle for the lich's lifeforce). The lich will stop at nothing to recover the phylactery.<br /><br />Does a lich always have to be mad? I say no. A family suffers from a terrifying curse that is passed upon the death of one cursed to the youngest living relative. To stop the curse, one member becomes a lich, so that there is no true death.<br /><br />An ancient evil arises in the land and the only person with information needed to stop the creature is the man who was around the last time he was here but he may be just as evil as it. The MC must deal with a lich to find out how to defeat the ancient evil.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "source sans pro" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><b>Wights</b>- or revenant. Or a host of other creatures. From the draugir of Norse mythology to the barrow wights of the English myths, these are creatures of fascinating legends and dark curses. A wight is a creature brought back from death to fulfill some action. Be that to guard a barrow or tomb, to hunt down a murderer, etc... These creatures are undead killing machines. Don't get these confused with ghouls or other undead, that hunt humans for sustenance. Wights don't require sustenance. They are driven by an unholy need to fulfill their goal. They have wide and varied looks, but most are the desiccated corpse of once living, reanimated flesh. Barrow-wights might come with old armor and weapons. Here are some story ideas:<br /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh_yxBNgh5-7aB9NW7CEzMWOLIn14MCTk7_SYjn6Y0_660LC_v8PqiBbRFVgMpqdSKmg1cpcU9axnKckSI5BVWWOlNM32p1LRZQMSyn9wifJlqnymo8wj6ohkiLRjmXbVRijAJKrblVQY/s1600/halloween-2410864_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh_yxBNgh5-7aB9NW7CEzMWOLIn14MCTk7_SYjn6Y0_660LC_v8PqiBbRFVgMpqdSKmg1cpcU9axnKckSI5BVWWOlNM32p1LRZQMSyn9wifJlqnymo8wj6ohkiLRjmXbVRijAJKrblVQY/s320/halloween-2410864_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Using the revenant aspect, the returned, the undead returns to seek vengeance upon those who killed it and its son. <br /><br />A barrow wight guards the tomb of its once-beloved lord through eternity. Can bonds of duty and love hold against the inexorable trudge of time?</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "source sans pro" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><b>Black Dog-</b> Legends of black dogs originated in the British Isles. These dogs are described as spectral or demonic, larger than a normal dog, and having glowing eyes. They are almost always thought of as harbingers of death, even when they are thought of benevolently. This could be due to the fact that dogs have been seen as guardians of the Underworld for some time. Look at the different depictions of dog-like beings in such a position: Anubis(Egyptian), Gramr(Norse), and Cerberus(Greek. Sometimes they are associated with the Devil.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOm1MFRNAz_bCMJMpWa4pwvi-n5c8ssz95KGv93_SxkupQC16uNE5FBkPxg8w36fvFc5MmIL6RhvxvpiBoh8n-n6hyXGUQg6Om1ad0YD5vSm2eeJxsLg_qqe5l1la4J0pDoEa0ZTP3nE8/s1600/skeleton-dog-1784681_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1049" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOm1MFRNAz_bCMJMpWa4pwvi-n5c8ssz95KGv93_SxkupQC16uNE5FBkPxg8w36fvFc5MmIL6RhvxvpiBoh8n-n6hyXGUQg6Om1ad0YD5vSm2eeJxsLg_qqe5l1la4J0pDoEa0ZTP3nE8/s320/skeleton-dog-1784681_1920.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
<br /><br />You can find them in a modern day setting on Supernatural, where they are called either black dogs or hellhounds. Here they work directly for Hell and come to collect souls from those who have made demon deals. In this instance, they are invisible unless you are being hunted or you have magical means with which to view them.<br /><br />You can find them in literature in <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i>. Spoilers ahead. Now, while the hound in question was not a black dog, Doyle made use of the legend in the setting up of the murder.<br /><br />So, what can we do to revitalize the black dog? <br /><br />Well, you could use a black dog in a humorous way. They were known as familiars to witches and warlocks. What if a young witch had a pony-sized black dog as her familiar? Called him Fluffy?<br /><br />How about black dogs as part of an Underworld Spirit Retrieval Unit? That could be fun.They track down rogue spirits that have found ways to escape the Underworld and seek to bring them back into custody. <br /><br />What about a black dog as a central figure? What if, for the purpose of the storyline, is the spirit of a dog that died after some form of torment or abuse. The black dog is sent to collect the soul of someone who it once knew. One of its abusers. But when there, it sees the abuser's son who had been its only friend on the mortal plane. Decides to befriend the boy and break the cycle that got it trapped into an eternity of collecting souls for the Underworld.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "source sans pro" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"> Are there undead that you think should be on this list? Leave a comment and tell me and maybe I'll write them up in a future article! </span></div>
Writers’ Loungehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162308364869452418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797322801783023631.post-89136732316023974162018-02-22T04:00:00.000-08:002018-02-22T08:37:50.403-08:00Creating an Indie Book Trailer, Part One<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Berkshire+Swash" rel="stylesheet"></link>
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<span style="font-family: "berkshire swash" , cursive; font-size: 30px;">by T G Campbell</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "berkshire swash" , cursive; font-size: 20px;">Time and time again, I’ve heard comments along the line of “being a successful independent author is 10% writing and 90% marketing”. It’s true that, as independents, the responsibility of getting our books, short stories, poems et cetera in front of the people who matter—the readers—is completely our own. Often, we have non-existent—if not very limited—financial budgets, and time restrictions which have tremendous impacts on our marketing potential. Consequentially, there’s a temptation to go “cheap but cheerful” in our marketing material. We assume—rightly or wrongly—our audience will forgive the lower quality on account of us being independents. Being without the backing of a giant publishing house, or even a reputable agent, we feel like it’s us against the world, and so rely on this rebel-like image as an excuse if something goes wrong. I say this because I’ve been guilty of doing the same in the past.
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<span style="font-family: "berkshire swash" , cursive; font-size: 20px;">When it came to creating an original trailer for my Bow Street Society book series, I started by looking at existing trailers in my genre. I found trailers by authors belonging to the big
five publishing houses. Naturally, these were big budget, movie-like epics which left the
viewer breathless and wanting more. They were slick, impressive, but also looked very
expensive. Nonetheless, I emailed a production company listed as a producer on a YouTube
book trailer. The trailer featured locations, characters, and book set in the same era as my
own—Victorian London. All I requested from the company was a quote regarding the cost of
hiring them to create a book trailer for me. I didn’t receive a reply. I can’t prove their lack of
response was due to the fact I’d told them I was an independent author, but the rebel in me
said this was probably the case.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "berkshire swash" , cursive; font-size: 20px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYV2d0NYtZ5xdMslXH26RApBd4PkysbWDIM2dib1cS4-BQdiLiVljIl6oSZanYZV-LUiK5DqvmsLkAVDaxHVsKsqlp7gVh85oDEUWdXHrn7u5cGyFuz18QENgmFlERNk_cC8DN6BaDM98/s1600/_We%2527re+not+interested+in+you_+-Big+Production+Company.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="672" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYV2d0NYtZ5xdMslXH26RApBd4PkysbWDIM2dib1cS4-BQdiLiVljIl6oSZanYZV-LUiK5DqvmsLkAVDaxHVsKsqlp7gVh85oDEUWdXHrn7u5cGyFuz18QENgmFlERNk_cC8DN6BaDM98/s400/_We%2527re+not+interested+in+you_+-Big+Production+Company.png" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "berkshire swash" , cursive; font-size: 20px;">Never mind. I returned to the other book trailers I’d bookmarked on YouTube, and watched them for the tenth time. With the exception of two or three, the majority were of PowerPoint
slideshows depicting stock images and/or stock music. The fonts were difficult to read and/or
inappropriate for the book’s genre, e.g. Comic Sans, and the music was also ill-fitting. I
understood why the creator had done what they’d done though: PowerPoint is cheap. In
comparison to filming original content, having professional photographs taken, and a
composer create an original music score, the resources used were cheap, too. We’re back to
the issue of low budgets and/or time restrictions, again. Unfortunately, the end product
looked—at least in my humble opinion—“cheap and cheerful”. It didn’t compel me to buy
the book, or even visit the website.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-dNdf7Q4Q0hEs2_-XwvBLmzlIomuv9YCuk2gOgDBfO23FssLuEMewDIBn3Mda6XBRnAOHsjx1zoKYUkffgU-NckXx5qpIT6rmr-du42UbmZK9hGVqMJ-31fV49RodeGFKC0kv2VYx1M/s1600/christmas-biscuits-2939889_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-dNdf7Q4Q0hEs2_-XwvBLmzlIomuv9YCuk2gOgDBfO23FssLuEMewDIBn3Mda6XBRnAOHsjx1zoKYUkffgU-NckXx5qpIT6rmr-du42UbmZK9hGVqMJ-31fV49RodeGFKC0kv2VYx1M/s320/christmas-biscuits-2939889_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All becomes the same cookies over and over again!<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "berkshire swash" , cursive; font-size: 20px;">There’s also another pitfall to be considered when using stock images and/or stock film: <i>anyone</i> can use them. While there’s certainly a valid argument for using stock resources
(they’re cheap, and it’s what you do with them that counts), you’re still running the risk of
having the same content as 500 other authors. This was the main reason why I chose <i>not</i> to
use stock images, film, and/or music in my trailer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "berkshire swash" , cursive; font-size: 20px;">I also chose <i>not</i> to use PowerPoint. Like everyone else, I have budget and time restrictions on my marketing plans. Yet, I don’t want those to be an excuse for producing a poor quality trailer. I wasn’t going to allow them to convince me to hire someone else to produce a poor quality trailer, either. Yes, I’m an independent author and, yes, I don’t have the backing of one of the big five publishing houses. <i>None</i> of those things mean <i>I</i> can’t produce a high quality trailer though. In fact, it was those things—and the lack of response from the production company—which gave me the determination to create something that could rival the trailers of the traditionally published authors.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "berkshire swash" , cursive; font-size: 20px;">At the point of writing this article, I’ve created a storyboard and script for my trailer. I’ve also found a hugely talented composer who’s willing to create an original music score, for free, in exchange for exposure. In addition to this, I have an artist on board, a chosen location for the live-action segments, and a decent quotation for high-quality costumes. There’s still a long way to go but I know I’ll get there in the end.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "berkshire swash" , cursive; font-size: 20px;">For now, though, I want to share my journey. Undoubtedly, there’ll be independent authors reading this who are thinking of creating a book trailer. I hope that by sharing the obstacles I’ve encountered/will encounter, and the ways of overcoming them, I’ll prove you don’t need Spielberg budgets to create blockbuster book trailers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "berkshire swash" , cursive; font-size: 20px;"><b>Next time: CREATING AN INDIE BOOK TRAILER Part Two: The Power of Networking</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "berkshire swash" , cursive; font-size: 20px;">T G Campbell is a crime novelist that resides in Modern Day England,
though she'd probably wanted to have lived in Victorian London. She is best known for her Bowstreet Society mysteries. You can find out more about T G <a href="http://writersloungeblog.blogspot.com/p/t-g-campbell.html">here</a>.</span></div>
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<br />Writers’ Loungehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162308364869452418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797322801783023631.post-87921928780116289712018-02-20T03:30:00.000-08:002018-02-20T03:31:03.033-08:0010 Things That May Inspire You!<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Permanent+Marker" rel="stylesheet"></link>
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<span style="font-family: "permanent marker" , cursive; font-size: 30px;">by G Dean Manuel</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "permanent marker" , cursive; font-size: 20px;"><b>Altered Carbon-</b> This Netflix original TV series has so much to offer. It hits you with a well thought out future setting, an interesting premise, and some great acting.</span></li>
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=writersloun08-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B000FBFMZ2&asins=B000FBFMZ2&linkId=f25e82c31c55c428f3cfbbc8fc509a55&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
<span style="font-family: "permanent marker", cursive; font-size: 20px; text-align: left;"><li><b>The Magicians-</b>This is a TV show on SyFy. It is currently in its third season. If you haven't watched it, it is the kind of on your nose Contemporary Fantasy that I like. About a group of young magicians that go to a college for magicians and find a portal to another world they thought was make believe. It is based on the series of books by Raymond Feist.</li></span><br /> <iframe style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=writersloun08-20&marketplace=amazon®ion=US&placement=B01BZE38RG&asins=B01BZE38RG&linkId=3aa0b21d5b72c82253c36a168e4baecb&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff">
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<span style="font-family: "permanent marker" , cursive; font-size: 20px;"><li><b>This video by Lindsey Stirling.</b> I love Lindsey Stirling and this video is inspirational in its cinemetography.</li></span></div><br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QAD0BtEv6-Q?rel=0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<span style="font-family: "permanent marker" , cursive; font-size: 16px;"><li><b>This picture.</b> It gives a real dreamy and steampunk feel!</li></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8kWdIcR972ch9Bw8vvGciPQe8DI8zOXzAkZzoPpLoaTUWnVd3YNsZVjhDO9dg4xXm44_NIp5it5bWWlmb2xcs7xeCJXUjlLiT1TRJHKr_5OYCt26n7jFEw6p_BSA71miKOU89qr-Jzs/s1600/steampunk-2047102_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8kWdIcR972ch9Bw8vvGciPQe8DI8zOXzAkZzoPpLoaTUWnVd3YNsZVjhDO9dg4xXm44_NIp5it5bWWlmb2xcs7xeCJXUjlLiT1TRJHKr_5OYCt26n7jFEw6p_BSA71miKOU89qr-Jzs/s640/steampunk-2047102_1920.jpg" width="640" height="427" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1067" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "permanent marker" , cursive; font-size: 16px;"><li><b>The Life of Mad Jack.</b> A man who fought his way through WWII with a claymore and bow and arrows. Only recorded bow kills during the war.</li></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "permanent marker" , cursive; font-size: 16px;"><li><b>Casablanca-</b> This movie is amazing! I didn't think I would like it but it won me over easily. If you haven't seen it, do it. Like now, I'll wait.</li></span></div>
<iframe style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=writersloun08-20&marketplace=amazon®ion=US&placement=B001EBWINQ&asins=B001EBWINQ&linkId=28aa9b1c366c627f217fb67fd115cbc0&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff">
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<span style="font-family: "permanent marker" , cursive; font-size: 16px;"><li><b>Axolotl-</b>These animals are amazing. They are Wolverine in nature. They can go as far as regenerate their spinal cords!</li></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE7IR4syW8Ex_S61ekYeS_BG9fd9f8g1rcvz1KZoActud6sviBzw4jim3V8oj5kI-PXRmYz18A0j-Dsile-B0l0KmFwiRCmboIlnAu77hMZrZMcbd3iJeWcoZZqiVu-ixIlsJtY0wD4g4/s1600/axolotl-white.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE7IR4syW8Ex_S61ekYeS_BG9fd9f8g1rcvz1KZoActud6sviBzw4jim3V8oj5kI-PXRmYz18A0j-Dsile-B0l0KmFwiRCmboIlnAu77hMZrZMcbd3iJeWcoZZqiVu-ixIlsJtY0wD4g4/s640/axolotl-white.jpg" width="640" height="610" data-original-width="390" data-original-height="372" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "permanent marker" , cursive; font-size: 16px;"><li><b>This picture:</b>of a small square world consisting of a little island with a lighthouse.</li></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhABzw0bNRctnd3gT6gMKZCU9TuzLua_ywumdLagT1dwhmI4MmkZNNoCfYZIi78b89i55cvFGcPEKLpK9trCb_2sCUwwJS3tXZdz0SQbV_cKTo_nD7iEA9rIdGXJDFnO9yu5LbqL_c-fGA/s1600/sea-3144292_1280.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhABzw0bNRctnd3gT6gMKZCU9TuzLua_ywumdLagT1dwhmI4MmkZNNoCfYZIi78b89i55cvFGcPEKLpK9trCb_2sCUwwJS3tXZdz0SQbV_cKTo_nD7iEA9rIdGXJDFnO9yu5LbqL_c-fGA/s640/sea-3144292_1280.png" width="640" height="360" data-original-width="1280" data-original-height="720" /></a></div><br /><br />
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<span style="font-family: "permanent marker" , cursive; font-size: 16px;"><li><b>Redshirts by John Scalzi</b>This book is hilarious! If you have never read and enjoy shows like Star Trek, this book is a great parody!</li></span></div><br />
<iframe style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=writersloun08-20&marketplace=amazon®ion=US&placement=0765334798&asins=0765334798&linkId=3252676cf5826f27e14baf6f69d72263&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff">
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<span style="font-family: "permanent marker" , cursive; font-size: 16px;"><li><b>Dirty Streets of Heaven by Tad Williams</b>This is the type of contemporary fantasy that I like! Unapologetic characters that I can relate to that aren't paragons of virtue but rather drinking, smoking, breathing men and angels that are tempted to do bad things.</li></span></div><br />
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Writers’ Loungehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162308364869452418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797322801783023631.post-9303140440829051682018-02-15T03:00:00.000-08:002018-02-15T03:00:38.361-08:00Rejection Journey update<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Ubuntu" rel="stylesheet"></link>
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<span style="font-family: "ubuntu" , sans-serif; font-size: 30px;"> by G Dean Manuel</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "ubuntu" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">It has been a couple weeks since my first post (<a href="http://writersloungeblog.blogspot.com/2018/01/rejection-journey.html">here</a> if you would like to compare). Since that post, I have been a busy little writer. Well, poet, at least. My current stats are:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "ubuntu" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><b>Stories submitted:</b> 13</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "ubuntu" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><b>Stories accepted:</b> 4</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "ubuntu" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><b>Stories rejected:</b> 12</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "ubuntu" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><b>Stories currently in submission:</b> 4</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "ubuntu" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Just to clarify, if the numbers aren't adding up for you, I forgot a story I submitted through email. The publisher contacted me to tell me I was accepted and I was super happy I didn't publish it elsewhere. That is why keeping my chart up-to-date is a must!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "ubuntu" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Now on the poetry side, things get a little busier:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "ubuntu" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><b>Poems submitted:</b> 35</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "ubuntu" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><b>Poems accepted:<b></b></b> 3</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "ubuntu" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><b>Poems rejected:</b> 11</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "ubuntu" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><b>Poems currently in submission:</b> 25(!)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2G5hqaIBTQkQuapBqGkTgB7wYXV2TvAb6Pap4hN3CpHLCKuhvbaw1fakpnPaJlozzwv367aOx5pgkTkgg6H6g3QIlsVSud15p7Qb6G0FtluWYkyqcrVNSZaUQGlTwz5DwvVSy0ubsyw/s1600/Snipforblogupdate.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="1272" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2G5hqaIBTQkQuapBqGkTgB7wYXV2TvAb6Pap4hN3CpHLCKuhvbaw1fakpnPaJlozzwv367aOx5pgkTkgg6H6g3QIlsVSud15p7Qb6G0FtluWYkyqcrVNSZaUQGlTwz5DwvVSy0ubsyw/s640/Snipforblogupdate.PNG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at all that blue!!!<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "ubuntu" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Minor change: Ballad of the Night Nurses was accepted by Quail Bell Magazine. Big change: I submitted over 25 poems to several different publications! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "ubuntu" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">For anyone reading this that has trouble submitting, anyone that is plagued with doubts about their abilities, I don't share this to brag. I share this so you can take heart! I pause over the submit button for agonizing seconds before taking the leap. Every. Single. Time. But I do it. I press the button. You can, too!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "ubuntu" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">My four stories that have been accepted are: “Bounty:Greed”(Gathering Storm Magazine, released), “Grandfather” (<i>Heart of the Child</i> anthology, released on March 24th, 2018), “King's Road” (<i>Unsheathed</i> anthology, release date TBA), and “Laundry Knights” (<i>The Fairytale Collection: The Knight's Sky</i>).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "ubuntu" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">My three poems that have been accepted are: “Blind to See” (The Literary Yard, <a href="https://literaryyard.com/2017/11/30/poem-blind-to-see/">here</a>), Dream Machinations (The Literary Yard, <a href="https://literaryyard.com/2017/11/30/poem-dream-machinations/">here</a>), and Ballad of the Night Nurses (Quail Bell Magazine, release TBA).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "ubuntu" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">I definitely feel less confident over my poetic side. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "ubuntu" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">But I will keep submitting. I may not have the same power or technique that Shakespeare, Angelou, Frost, or Burns have but I am me. There is someone out there that my words will touch and I hope that I hear back from them.</span></div>
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<br />Writers’ Loungehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162308364869452418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797322801783023631.post-8753059357386984342018-02-13T04:00:00.000-08:002018-02-15T17:33:54.205-08:00Beyond the Writing<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "spectral sc" , serif; font-size: 20px;"> By Kimberly Jay</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqnU4Y6xliyEDfCBZbQQcAVV5iAmLCJXLjoSfSLhifI8Iu2xuCF-m06eY61loKw4qLcLSTecX2kOBy1Yz9Q361y_ktPvjOLIWaT9j9OC8HHffOiNfPrRGt7MfzGOdKnz2wCLfSHVLb3qs/s1600/office-594132_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqnU4Y6xliyEDfCBZbQQcAVV5iAmLCJXLjoSfSLhifI8Iu2xuCF-m06eY61loKw4qLcLSTecX2kOBy1Yz9Q361y_ktPvjOLIWaT9j9OC8HHffOiNfPrRGt7MfzGOdKnz2wCLfSHVLb3qs/s640/office-594132_1920.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "spectral sc" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Almost one year ago, I embarked on the journey to become a published author. Having had plenty of experience in writing, I believed this next progression in my career would be a cake walk</span><span style="font-family: "spectral sc" , serif; font-size: 16px;">. I happily got to it and approximately six months later, I had a ‘finished’ product. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "spectral sc" , serif; font-size: 16px;">I was so naïve. </span></div><br />
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Early on, I decided against traditionally publishing, however, I was oblivious to the work required for self-publishing. I believed completing my book was the end goal; to some degree, it was- after all, you can’t publish something that isn’t finished- BUT, there is so much more to becoming a ‘published author’ than writing the last word of your book. </div>
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As I was making through the writing process, several people told me I would need to take a month or more away from my book, before I could successfully complete any type of self-editing. I smiled politely, reminding myself that these well-meaning people didn’t know me and confidently ‘knew’ this would not be my fate.</div>
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Yet, by the time I typed ‘the end’, I had zero desire to open the document I’d poured my heart into for so many months. I sent an email to the few people who had agreed to read my book in its rough state and then I sat back and waited. I didn’t do anything related to my book, because I was confident in my writing ability and believed my circle of supporters (or some other type of book promotion fairy) would propel my book onto the best seller lists. My book was so good, I was sure it would be it would sell itself.</div>
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<div id="amzn-assoc-ad-2c251cc4-44cd-4153-8e85-22ae5f7066eb"></div><script async src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US&adInstanceId=2c251cc4-44cd-4153-8e85-22ae5f7066eb"></script>
<span style="font-family: "spectral sc" , serif; font-size: 20px;"><b>If everyone is giving you the same advice, you should probably pay it some attention…</b><br /><br /> </span> <span style="font-family: "spectral sc" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Perhaps, I had a bit of a hard head, because I didn’t take heed to any of the ‘well-intended’ advice I was given. When my beta readers came back with questions, I thought they didn’t get my writing; they weren’t the readers I had originally thought them to be, and I didn’t really care about their questions or concerns-<br /><br />This is of course until I revisited my beloved manuscript (nearly two months after closing the file). I was shocked at the amount of unfinished thoughts, run on sentences and missing pieces my book had. If you weren’t sure, the self-editing process is a humbling experience.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "spectral sc" , serif; font-size: 20px;"><b>Listen to your Alpha/Beta Readers. They are only giving you information to make your book the best it can be…</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "spectral sc" , serif; font-size: 16px;">There I was, going through my manuscript with a fine-tooth comb, still debating on the need to have a professional editor because I had written and edited for others, I thought I didn’t really need an outside source to provide me with that skillset. After a second run of editing, I realized how massive the task of editing your own work is and the decision to acquire an editor was solidified as a must have.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "spectral sc" , serif; font-size: 20px;"><b>Save yourself some time and know that you will need an outside professional editor. As you are in the writing stages, think of what type of person you’d like to edit your book. Find this editor (he or she does exist) and begin to cultivate a relationship with them, so when it comes time for you to hand over your manuscript, you won’t be traumatized by trust issues. You will also want to secure a spot on your editor’s workload calendar, so you aren’t left waiting around for them to be able to review your work…</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "spectral sc" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Writing and editing aren’t the only things you need to do to get your book into the hands of the masses- so don’t get comfortable! Remember that team of supporters you have? The people who have been encouraging you to write your story, telling you how great you are and filling your head with all kinds of whimsy about the measure of success you will gain because you are just that good? Well, those people aren’t going to sell your book. So, what are you going to do? Enter the tedious world of marketing…</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "spectral sc" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Book marketing may seem generic, but how you implement the various marketing tools is what will make you stand out. There are so many different marketing strategies that it would be impossible to name them all, but here are a few I have found to have worked for me- using a Facebook Author page and creating genuine relationships with my fans/followers (it is more than a numbers/like game), creating a book trailer, doing a reading of an excerpt from my book, making a post card sized advertisement of my book (posted to several community boards and leaving bookmarks (about my book) on coffee shop counters, library check out counters and any other counter, where ‘my’ readers would be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "spectral sc" , serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>In terms of marketing your book, this is something you should start doing long before you finish writing your book- though it isn’t to late to start, so get to it! Don’t let marketing strategies stress you out, have some fun with it and like all things in life, don’t be afraid to make a mistake here and there…</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "spectral sc" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Now that you’ve completed your rounds of self-edits, your alpha and beta readers have read your book and given it some stellar reviews and you’ve got your marketing road map- you’re all set to make your book available to the waiting public, right? Nope. Have you considered your book’s appearance? Whether you’re publishing only in e-book format or printed form or both, you’ll want an eye-catching cover. This is a service you can do yourself (there are any number of tools available online to aid you in this endeavor) or you may choose to hire this task out; the choice is yours and yours alone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "spectral sc" , serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>People judge most books by the covers, so make sure you put some time, effort and perhaps investment into yours…</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "spectral sc" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Don’t get lost in the millions of books made available to the world each day- remember to stand out in the crowd, you’ll have to do some work beyond the writing! I’d love to hear your best practices beyond the writing! Leave a comment and let’s chat about it, shall we?</span> <span style="font-family: "spectral sc" , serif; font-size: 16px;"></span> <span style="font-family: "spectral sc" , serif; font-size: 16px;"></span> <span style="font-family: "spectral sc" , serif; font-size: 16px;"></span> <span style="font-family: "spectral sc" , serif; font-size: 16px;"></span> <span style="font-family: "spectral sc" , serif; font-size: 16px;"></span> <span style="font-family: "spectral sc" , serif; font-size: 16px;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "spectral sc" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Kimberly Jay, also known as Kim, Specialk or Dvnmskm- depending on where you meet her- has been writing almost as long as she has been talking (which for those of you who don't know that's slightly less than half a century)! She enjoys writing across genres, preferring to let the creative juices flow instead of following the 'rules' of writing. She has held court with the Richmond City Council and Richmond City School Board, where here eloquent speeches have left many an onlooker rethinking and reevaluating their position the current topic at hand. Find out more about Kim <a href="http://writersloungeblog.blogspot.com/p/kimberly-johnson.html">here</a>.</span>
<span style="font-family: "spectral sc" , serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>Writers’ Loungehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162308364869452418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797322801783023631.post-20106345030063847492018-02-08T11:24:00.001-08:002018-02-08T11:24:41.628-08:00Open Call for Submissions: 10 Places to Submit Short Stories!<div style="text-align: center;">
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By G Dean Manuel</span><br /></div>
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<li style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "abril fatface" , cursive; font-size: 24px;"><span style="color: red;">Flame Tree Publishing: Artificial Intelligence &
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<span style="font-family: "abril fatface" , cursive; font-size: 16px;"><b>Submit by</b>: February 11th, 2018<br />
<b>Submission by</b>: Email ( 2018@flametreepublishing.com ) <br />
<b>Brief Overview</b>: These are two separate anthologies: Artificial Intelligence and Lost Souls. Both entries in their Gothic Fantasy series. They want Gothic stories with a twist. You can find full information <a href="http://blog.flametreepublishing.com/fantasy-gothic/short-story-submissions-lost-soul-robots-and-artificial-intelligence?utm_campaign=Gothic+Fantasy+2018&utm_content=66080959&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter">here</a>.<br />
<b>Word Count</b>: 2000-4000<br />
<b>Payment</b>: $0.06/word<br />
<b>This is a SFWA qualifying market.</b><br />
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Electric Athenaeum
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<span style="font-family: "abril fatface" , cursive; font-size: 16px;"><b>Submit by</b>: February 15th, 2018<br />
<b>Submission by</b>: Email ( electricathenaeum@gmail.com )<br />
<b>Brief Overview</b>: Generation starships establishing new colonies. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Driving back the dark to protect your children. For this issue of Electric Athenaeum, we are seeking genre stories that focus on the issues surounding planning for future generations. We are particularly interested in stories featuring new visions/interpretations of generation starships, the care of fragile ecosystems, and dramatic explorations of balancing the rights of future generations versus the needs of the present. Find full guidelines <a href="http://csff-anglia.co.uk/ea/subs/">here</a><br />
<b>Word Count</b>: 3000-10000<br />
<b>Payment</b>: 50 GBP/story<br />
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Uncanny Magazine: Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction
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<span style="font-family: "abril fatface" , cursive; font-size: 16px;"><b>Submit by</b>: February 28th, 2018<br />
<b>Submission by</b>: Moksha online system<br />
<b>Brief Overview</b>: They are looking for writers with disabilities. Find full submission guidelines <a href="https://uncannymagazine.com/disabled-people-destroy-science-fiction-guidelines/">here</a>.<br />
<b>Word Count</b>: 750-6000<br />
<b>Payment</b>: $0.08/word<br />
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Sword & Sonnet
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<span style="font-family: "abril fatface" , cursive; font-size: 16px;"><b>Submit by</b>: March 1st, 2018<br />
<b>Submission by</b>: Email ( swordsonnet@gmail.com )<br />
<b>Brief Overview</b>: Stories featuring a woman or non-binary battle poet as a main character. Although we envision the bulk of the stories will be fantasy, we’re also open to science fiction or horror. We’re looking for lyrical shimmery stories, epic fantasy tales, and gritty poetpunk. Stories could feature secondary, historical or contemporary settings. Full submission guidelines <a href="http://www.swordsonnet.com/guidelines/">here</a>.<br />
<b>Word Count</b>: 2000-5000<br />
<b>Payment</b>: $0.06/word + 1 contributor copy<br />
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Litro Magazine: The Back of the Bus
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<span style="font-family: "abril fatface" , cursive; font-size: 16px;"><b>Submit by</b>: March 1st, 2018<br />
<b>Submission by</b>: Submittable<br />
<b>Brief Overview</b>: The back of the bus is where the cool, popular kids sit (not me, then); it’s the top of the social pecking order … but then there’s an older meaning, harking back to segregation … so what will this issue be? You show us. Full guidelines <a href="https://www.litro.co.uk/submit/">here</a>.<br />
<b>Word Count</b>: Up to 4000<br />
<b>Payment</b>: None<br />
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Hex Gunslinger: Weird West Anthology
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<span style="font-family: "abril fatface" , cursive; font-size: 16px;"><b>Submit by</b>: March 1st, 2018<br />
<b>Submission by</b>:Email (preferred) ( subs@radiantcrownpublishing.com )<br />
Green Submissions or HeyPublisher<br />
<b>Brief Overview</b>: Hex Gunslinger is an upcoming anthology of speculative, mysterious, and romantic weird western tall tales! Framed as an unearthed secret library years after the civil war, each story should hold the ethos of western expansion beginning in 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase, and ending around the 1850s not necessarily restricted to a North American audience. Do not take manifest destiny as a mantra to live by. Shape a world with all the magic and mystery of the frontier without letting the ugliness of conquest be consumed with fantastic whimsy. We want wide open plains where violence ruled, underground movements brewing with tension, and the Wild Wild West in all it’s beauty and madness. Bring us your stories marking the age of the gold rush, injustice, genocide, mass immigration, transcontinental railroads, vigilante justice, telegraphs, outlaws, gunslingers, slick talkers, setting suns, and the impending civil war that would rip a nation apart. Full guidelines <a href="http://radiantcrownpublishing.com/hex-gunslinger-a-weird-western-anthology/">here</a>.<br />
<b>Word Count</b>: 1000-40000<br />
<b>Payment</b>: $0.01/word<br />
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Corpus Press: 2018 Halloween Anthology
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<span style="font-family: "abril fatface" , cursive; font-size: 16px;"><b>Submit by</b>: March 30th, 2018<br />
<b>Submission by</b>: Submittable<br />
<b>Brief Overview</b>: A central theme associated with Halloween and can be characterized within the broad realm of “horror” fiction. Successful submissions will be highly original, well written and cleanly edited. Stories can be frightening, thought-provoking, atmospheric, humorous or satirical (or any combination thereof), but MUST contain a complete tale. Full submission guidelines <a href="https://www.corpuspress.com/call-for-submissions/">here</a>.<br />
<b>Word Count</b>: 4500-8500<br />
<b>Payment</b>: $0.03/word + 2 contributor copies<br />
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<li style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "abril fatface" , cursive; font-size: 24px;color: pink;">
Arachne Press: An Outbreak of Peace
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<span style="font-family: "abril fatface" , cursive; font-size: 16px;"><b>Submit by March 31st, 2018</b>:<br />
<b>Submission by</b>: Submittable<br />
<b>Brief Overview</b>: Call out for stories and poems for an anthology celebrating the centenary of the end of WWI. Would particularly like to include something from each of the countries involved in WWI, not just the victors. Find more information <a href="https://arachnepress.submittable.com/submit">here</a>.<br />
<b>Word Count</b>: 1000-2100<br />
<b>Payment</b>: Royalties + 2 contributor copies of anthology<br />
</span></div>
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<li style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "abril fatface" , cursive; font-size: 24px;color: green;">
Weird Nature Anthology
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<span style="font-family: "abril fatface" , cursive; font-size: 16px;"><b>Submit by</b>: Submit by March 31st, 2018<br />
<b>Submission by</b>: Email ( forceofnaturesubs@gmail.com )<br />
<b>Brief Overview</b>: <p>Though our scientific knowledge has increased exponentially alongside technological development, there remains much about the natural world we still do not understand. Stories for Force of Nature should involve nature and the weird at their core; how the author wishes to interpret these themes is entirely up to them. Comedic stories will be a tougher sell but by all means, if you have a story that otherwise fits the guidelines, don’t hesitate to submit it. Try to avoid anything that is overtly cautionary. While the idea for the anthology was significantly inspired by climate change and the impact wrought on the planet by human habits, I don’t want stories that lecture. That said, I’m not opposed to stories in which the human factor gets served the short end of the stick.</p>
<p>While I don’t want a collection full of quiet stories, I will mention here that I am a big fan of the sublime. Wordsworth with a modern sensibility. Or just Wordsworth.</p>
<p>In terms of genre, I have no stipulations. Use a blank canvas and fit your story to the genus that suits it best. Full guidelines <a href="https://lynnejamneckdiaries.blogspot.in/2017/12/submission-guidelines-weird-nature.html">here</a>.</p>
<b>Word Count</b>: 2500-10000<br />
<b>Payment</b>: $0.07/word up to 7000 words, $0.05/word for longer stories<br />
</span></div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "abril fatface" , cursive; font-size: 24px;color: blue;">
Paper Dog Press: The Internet is Where Robots Live Now
</span></b></li>
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<span style="font-family: "abril fatface" , cursive; font-size: 16px;"><b>Submit by</b>: April 1st 2018<br />
<b>Submission by</b>: Email ( paperdogbooks@gmail.com )<br />
<b>Brief Overview</b>: We're looking for works of short speculative fiction that consider the future of the internet, artificial intelligence, the mind, and robots. Give us your optimistic, fantastic, bittersweet stories of fantasy and science fiction. Please, no YA dystopian, robots will destroy the world, high fantasy tropes. Take a more original and nuanced view on the subject. No multiple submissions. No simultaneous submissions. No reprints. Full guidelines <a href="https://www.paperdogbooks.com/pages/the-internet-is-where-the-robots-live-now-anthology">here</a>.<br />
<b>Word Count</b>: 1500-5000<br />
<b>Payment</b>: $0.06/word<br />
</span></div>
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Writers’ Loungehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162308364869452418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797322801783023631.post-5041714357287277792018-02-06T04:00:00.000-08:002018-02-06T16:54:06.366-08:00Writing Flash Fiction!<div style="font-family: "nunito" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px; text-align: center;">
by G Dean Manuel</div>
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<span style="font-family: "rammetto one" , cursive; font-size: 40px;">What is
Flash Fiction?</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "nunito" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Flash fiction goes by many names and encompasses many different styles. There is the ever popular 6-word story that clog up group feeds. The 140 characters story/twitterature that goes on, you guessed it, Twitter. Though, now that Twitter allows 280 characters, those stories have doubled in size. There is the minisage, also known as the dribble, that is contained in 50 words or less. Who could forget the drabble or microfiction? These stories are comprised of 100 words or less. Finally we have the heavyweights of the flash fiction world: sudden fiction/immediate fiction/short-shorts (750 words), flash fiction(1000 words), nano-tale, and micro-story.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "nunito" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">But what does that mean?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "nunito" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Well, flash fiction is a story contained within 1500 words or less. That means it has a beginning, middle, and end. It isn't just an excerpt of a bigger piece. It isn't just a scene that you made. Flash fiction is a completely self-contained story.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "rammetto one" , cursive; font-size: 40px;">Why Write Flash Fiction?</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "nunito" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">There are many reasons to write flash fiction. It helps you become a better writer. In today's market, flash ficiton stories are becoming more and more popular, so there is a good market for your stories. Flash fiction is quick to write, edit, and read.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "nunito" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">How does a flash ficiton story help you become a better writer? To begin with, it helps your writing become more concise. Flash fiction doesn't leave room for flabby sentences. Everything sentence must be a Venice Beach weightlifter. With each piece you are flexing fiction muscles you didn't know you had. Suddenly, you are doing things like using stronger nouns and verbs unconciously. Secondly, it is a great confidence boost. Don't underestimate the power of a finsihed story on your confidence. Flash fiction is a great springboard to motivate you to finishing up bigger works of fiction.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "nunito" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Flash fiction isn't just for practice though. There are many magazines and online journals that deal in flash fiction. One of the biggest, Flash Fiction Online, deals exclusively in flash fiction. (As if you couldn't tell be the title!) That means your work can get out there! This is important for any author trying to build a platform.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "nunito" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">It is quick to write, edit, and read. This is another important aspect to flash fiction. In this day and age of quick consumption, flash fiction can be your introduction to an audience that will be slavering to consume more of your lengthier word count stories. Because of its shorter format, it is more likely to be read. Also, when connecting to other authors, a flash fiction piece is more likely to be critiqued over a longer work. This can help you forge connections that you otherwise wouldn't have working solely on your novel length work.</span><br />
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<h3 class="western">
<span style="font-family: "rammetto one" , cursive; font-size: 40px;">How Do I Write Flash Ficiton?</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "nunito" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">"Brevity is the soul of wit." Nothing shows that truer than a piece of flash fiction. But why does it have to be so hard? Like any writing, there are no tried and true formulas that will grant you success automatically. But I can give you a few tips that may increase your chances!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "nunito" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>Start in the middle of the story:</b> Unlike types of fiction with meatier word counts, flash fiction can't have much set up. It is better to start your story inside the action and reserve your word count for pushing the story forward instead of infodumping.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "nunito" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>Show rather than tell:</b> I know we say this all the time but we don't often follow this rule. In flash fiction this rule is very important! Everything must economical, so things like descriptions of characters or setting must be done in action. That way you are going to get more bang per word!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "nunito" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>Take out all unneccesary words:</b> Once you begin writing, you will find that 1000 words isn't that much. You must treat each paragraph as if it is a tweet. Take out all the filler and leave yourself with a boiled down sentence that is concise and impactful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "nunito" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>Adjectives and adverbs are the enemy:</b> Use stronger nouns and verbs in place of adjectives and adverbs. This is another rule that we ignore in bigger fiction but is absolutely imperative in flash fiction.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "nunito" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>Don't use too many scenes:</b> Honestly, you should probably only have one. Two at the most. Otherwise your narrative will be too diluted.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "nunito" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>Not too many characters, either:</b> Beyond the MC, there shouldn't be a host of characters to introduce. Otherwise, you will be spending your word count on introducing characters and not have much left for your story.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "nunito" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>POV matters:</b> Most flash fiction should be done in first person or third person limited. This will narrow the lens of focus to inside your MC's head, conserving your word count.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "nunito" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"></span><b>End in the middle:</b> Don't put the resolution of your plot at the end. Put it in the middle, giving the reader time to contemplate its impact before the story finishes.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "nunito" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>Don't overreach with your idea:</b> You can't have a story that is too BIG. An epic quest to destroy a ring for the survival of your world is too much to write in 1000 words. But a story of a hero facing the fact that he won't survive the battle with the Big Bad can be done.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "nunito" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>Don't forget that your character should grow:</b> Just because you are limited in word count doesn't mean that your characters shouldn't grow. Don't forget to put in a character arc to develop your character!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "nunito" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>Just say no to subplots:</b> One conflict, focus on it!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "nunito" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Take these tips to heart and you may end up with quite a piece of short fiction!</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<h3 class="western">
<span style="font-family: "rammetto one" , cursive; font-size: 40px;">Where Do You Go From Here?</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "nunito" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Well, hopefully writing! I want to stress something to you before you go. Flash fiction isn't just practice writing. It is an art form in and of itself. If you think it is easy, I challenge you to write some. Then send it in to Flash Fiction Online. See how quickly slapping 1000 words on a page without true respect for this literary form will get you rejected!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "nunito" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">To all those who are interested in trying this form, have fun! At the beginning, it will seem daunting but with practice it becomes less so.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "nunito" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b><i>G Dean Manuel is a multi-genre writer and helper of people. If you would like to know more about G Dean Manuel, click <a href="http://writersloungeblog.blogspot.com/p/g-dean-manuel.html">here</a>.</i></b></span><br />
<br />Writers’ Loungehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162308364869452418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797322801783023631.post-20204827937016791702018-01-31T05:30:00.000-08:002018-01-31T15:16:29.683-08:00Rejection Journey<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=PT+Serif" rel="stylesheet"></link>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "pt serif" , serif; font-size: 20px;">By G Dean Manuel</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "pt serif" , serif; font-size: 20px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "pt serif" , serif; font-size: 20px;"> So, we survived 2017! It was a bit touch and go there but I think we all made it to 2018 relatively intact. So, we are going to talk about something every writer must face sometime in their career: rejection. Actually, we are not just going to talk about it, we are going to put together an actionable plan. Let's start with some facts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "pt serif" , serif; font-size: 20px;"> Towards the end of the year, I went on a spree of submissions mostly prompted by writing a couple of stories for an anthology called "Heart of the Child." So let's look at some numbers:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "pt serif" , serif; font-size: 20px;"> Since starting in October, I have had:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "pt serif" , serif; font-size: 20px;"> Stories submitted: 12</span></div>
</li>
<li><span style="font-family: "pt serif" , serif; font-size: 20px;">Stories accepted: 3</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "pt serif" , serif; font-size: 20px;">Stories rejected: 12</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "pt serif" , serif; font-size: 20px;">Stories currently in submission: 4</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "pt serif" , serif; font-size: 20px;"> Now, on the poetry side of things:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "pt serif" , serif; font-size: 20px;"> Poems submitted: 11</span></div>
</li>
<li><span style="font-family: "pt serif" , serif; font-size: 20px;">Poems accepted: 2</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "pt serif" , serif; font-size: 20px;">Poems rejected: 9</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "pt serif" , serif; font-size: 20px;">Poems ready for submission: 24</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "pt serif" , serif; font-size: 20px;"> But what does this all mean? Does it mean that all my stories and poems suck? Well, the easy answer is no. It doesn't mean anything of the sort. It means, at the time I submitted, the editor didn't think my story or poem <i>fit </i>what they were publishing. Even doing all the research about each that I could, I can't account for everything. The editor might have found a common theme among submissions that they liked and mine didn't follow that common thread. They simply could have not liked the story or poem. One editor's opinion on a story or poem doesn't mean that it sucks. It means it: a). needs work <b>OR</b> b). needs to find another home. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "pt serif" , serif; font-size: 20px;"> And that's what I did with a few of my submissions if you do the math. Submitted them to other places when they were rejected. I'll be updating you guys when I get a rejection or an acceptance. Mostly because I want you to see that perseverance pays off.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "pt serif" , serif; font-size: 20px;"> Happy writing!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "pt serif" , serif; font-size: 20px;"> <br />
</span></div>
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<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "pt serif" , serif; font-size: 20px;">G Dean Manuel is a multi-genre writer and helper of people. If you would like to know more about G Dean Manuel, click <a href="http://writersloungeblog.blogspot.com/p/g-dean-manuel.html">here</a>.</span></div>
Writers’ Loungehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162308364869452418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797322801783023631.post-77397771401329910432018-01-25T07:00:00.000-08:002018-01-25T12:13:32.895-08:00Why You Should Join A Writing Group<div style="font-family: "pacifico" , cursive; font-size: 23px; text-align: center;">
By Irene Bassett<br />
(Read the original post <a href="http://writersloungeblog.blogspot.com/2018/01/should-i-be-part-of-writing-group.html">here</a>)<br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Recently, Greg Manuel wrote a very passionate piece arguing about the cons of joining a writing group. He brought up some good points, and I agree with a lot of them, however, I feel that it is important to point out some of the benefits of joining a writing group. I will also address Mr. Manuel’s point about time wasting posts that drown out everything else, which is quite a valid concern and quite frankly the biggest con of a writing group. But first, a bit of my personal history.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span> <span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I’ve been a member of about five different writing group, and each one is different. My first writing group was called Creative Writers and it was relatively small. The person who ran it had left, and somebody picked it up and ran with it. Around this same time, I joined a second writing group called Fiction Writing. They were vastly different beasts, not just because they were different sizes, but also ran differently. Creative Writers’ admins had a laissez-faire way of handling posts, and I liked it for a time. Fiction Writing was a bit stricter in its posting and seemed to be dominated by juggernauts who posted acceptance letters daily. I also joined one called Ninja Writers, which was structured similarly to Fiction Writing, but I didn’t find it as engaging. There is also The Inner Writer’s Circle, which is a small but up-and-coming group with some excellent material from the owner, as well as Mr. Manuel’s very own Writer’s Lounge. For the most part, however, I kept myself to Fiction Writing and Creative Writers, and my experiences in these two groups have influenced me and my opinion greatly. As such, I will be approaching this analysis from my perspective within these two groups.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span> <span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Facebook Writing Groups do have some great benefits in my opinion – the first being you have easy access to a wealth of knowledge and experience. You also have access to a network of authors who know magazines that are accepting submissions, as well as where to find great editors. And lastly, you have access to a group of people who will support you – so long as you support them back. These three points are the fundamentals of why I support the idea of joining a writing group.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></span></span> <span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The first point I have is the access to the wealth of knowledge and experience. I have learned more in the past year about outlining, connecting with agents, writing a tighter plot, and correcting my own grammar than I have in the past decade of schooling and independent research. Fiction Writing was the biggest contributor to that, as they are a massive group of about 30k members, with a combined experience of at least 100 years between them. Creative Writers eventually got to that point, and I was proud to be a member of the more seasoned veterans in that group. Fiction Writers, however, was always my go-to source for information on outlines and the nitty-gritty of writing. Brian Paone, who runs Fiction Writing posts daily tips on everything from marketing to common mistakes he sees as an editor. Creative Writers was better for bouncing ideas around and seeing what others thought of them. It was a great experience, but Creative Writers was honestly much better for the next point – networking.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></span></span> <span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">One of the most important things an author can do in this era of the internet is networking. Facebook, a social </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>network</b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">is the perfect avenue for this. You can connect with other authors and editors, and learn what places are accepting submissions. You are building a </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>network</b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">when you add friends on Facebook. You are involving yourself in a </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">network </span></b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">when you join a writing group. Good writing groups will have members posting places that are accepting submissions. Good writing groups will give you experiences they’ve had with magazines and with copy editors. But most importantly, they will also let you connect with some editors who want to work with you. Creative Writers was good for that – I met two editors in Creative Writers, both of which did excellent jobs with the pieces I’ve sent to them, and for a decent price. This would not have been possible had I not been in Creative Writers (a network). Fiction Writing’s very own Brian Paone also does editing, and it is a bang-up job for a very good price. But editors aren’t the only people you should connect with. You should also connect with your fellow writers.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></span></span> <span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">One obvious example is the relationship between myself and Mr. Manuel. I would not be writing this piece, and you would not be reading it if it weren’t for the friendship and respect I’ve developed for Mr. Manuel over the past few months of working with him. And it was all through networking that this was made possible. It’s also through networking that I met several other authors, such as Matthew Brockmeyer and Steven Carr. These two men are people whom I respect greatly. Mr. Brockmeyer showed me an excellent platform to pitch my novels to indie presses, while Mr. Carr always keeps an eye sharp for magazines accepting short stories. All of this through the magic of networking. And with a network comes my final point – a writer’s network is also a writer’s support group.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Let’s face it, part of the game with writing is the grind of rejection letter after rejection letter. I didn’t see as many people posting about their rejections in Creative Writer’s as I do in Fiction Writing. But each time I do see an author posting about their rejection, the response was overwhelmingly positive. “You’ll get them next time,” was the most common reply. Or they would hit “like” as a show of silent solidarity. Very rarely did I ever see anybody blow a raspberry at a magazine for rejecting another’s work. In Fiction Writing, there was even a link to a blog post from a magazine editor explaining reasons why your piece might have been rejected – even if it was perfect. It certainly made it a lot easier to bear my own massive pile of rejection letters. But they aren’t just there for you when you get rejected – they’re there for you when you succeed. Your family might celebrate you finally getting published, but folks in a writer’s group know the grind. They </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">know </span></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">how hard it is. They </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">know </span></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">how much sweat, blood, and tears you’ve poured into a piece. They’ve been there, they are there. So, when they say “congratulations” you know it isn’t just a hollow piece of praise. It’s a praise with </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">meaning</span></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: font-family: 'Lora', serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;">. Writing is hard work, and nobody knows that better than writers. But, that also brings me to my next point. The time wasters, and honestly the biggest con to writing in the world.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Mr. Manuel and I both are in agreement that the posts that go along the lines of “What kind of music do you listen to when writing?” Or “Write a story in X words about Y thing” are the bane of a healthy writing group. Creative Writers at one point was inundated with these posts, and my timeline was often flooded with people responding to the low hanging fruit. It got so bad at one point that the administrative team decided to start deleting those posts, and I believe for a time, they did a weekly thread for that kind of writing. This alleviated the problem and allowed the authors to ask questions and get responses again. Fiction Writing doesn’t have quite as big a problem with it as Creative Writers did, but I suspect that’s because the size of Fiction Writing makes it so that those posts never see the light of day for more than a few minutes. But they are time wasters, and even worse, they are space wasters. For the love of writing, a group with these kinds of posts is a group that you should stay well away from. You will never get anything done, and you will never get any questions answered. Nor will you be able to answer any questions you may have. </span></span></span> <span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></span></span> <span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">A writer’s group is a tool, like a knife or a shovel. You wouldn’t use a knife to dig a hole, and you wouldn’t use a shovel to chop an onion. With that in mind, you shouldn’t use a writing group to buff up your own ego, nor should you use it as another form of entertainment. If properly utilized, you can go far in your career as a writer. </span></span></span>
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<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: "pacifico" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><i>Irene Bassett has had stories featured on the NoSleep Podcast and CREEPY under the pseudonym Irene Stark and on blacktime e-press under the pseudonym Kenny Stark-Udar. Irene lives in Long Beach, California, and her primary email address is irenestark2017@gmail.com. Learn more about Irene <a href="http://writersloungeblog.blogspot.com/p/irene-stark-from-nosleep-as-iron-lady.html">here</a>.</i></span></span></span></div>
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<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Lora|Pacifico" rel="stylesheet"></link>Writers’ Loungehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162308364869452418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797322801783023631.post-75413710398269451372018-01-23T06:00:00.000-08:002018-01-23T06:00:18.446-08:00Should I be part of a writing group?<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
So, you went on Facebook and joined a writers' group! Yippee! You think to yourself this is going to be great, an open resource to assist you when you are stuck on something. Other people who have the same passion you do. Nothing couldn't be better, this group is going to be magical.</div>
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Then you have to swallow your disappointment when it is nothing like that. Most writers' groups drown under a flood of silly and pointless posts. Write X story in X number of words. If you can get past that then you can realize that most groups are ticking time-bombs that repeatedly explode in a rash of internet violence (I'd love to give these people a sarcastic slow clap for being such wastes of space that devote time and energy to fighting each other in such an ineffectual manner) where two main groups antagonize one another: The Social Justice Warrior and the Asshat Trolls. This struggle of two divergent groups waging war against one another will rage on long after we are dust in the wind. Now if you can't tell who is who, that is pretty normal. They are virtually indistinguishable.</div>
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Well, if you haven't been chased away or are lucky enough to find a group that is devoid of such antics, sadly, you aren't in the clear. You scroll down your group's wall and find posts like <i>what music do you listen to? What author influenced you to write? Where is everyone from? </i>I call these distraction posts. Time wasters. You might say, well, I can ignore these. True, you can. Truly, that is great if you ignore their lure but they aren't just spiderwebs of wasted time waiting for unexpecting attention to ensnare. They are more insidious. These posts end up garnering attention and because of the way Facebook's analytics work, these posts <i>actually bury other posts. </i>Sadly, most people that join a writers' group are not, in fact, writers. They are just time-wasters. And they love posts like this. Not just posting them, they love commenting. So, these posts make it to everyone's walls and the post by Little Mary Author doesn't make it to anyone's wall.</div>
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There are hundreds of other little things that detract from the integrity of a writers' group. People posting random works with no desire to have anyone do anything but congratulate them. Posting of social media links, like for like or follow for follow. Etcetera.</div>
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Okay, so you shopped around and found a group that has a tight stricture against time-wasting posts, they only have a small population of SJW and asshats (you'll never get rid of all of them), and seem generally nice people. There can't be anything wrong, can there?</div>
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No, not if what you want is to be in a community of writers and use them as a resource to ask questions. Then you, my friend, are golden. If you'd like to better your craft and expand your experience in writing, then you are barking up the wrong tree. In my experience, these groups are great if you'd like to talk to like-minded people and maybe get a few questions answered. Beyond that, writing groups start to fall apart. You are most likely not going to get a rousing conversation about the pros and cons of the anti-hero.</div>
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That's what you are looking for? Well, then you are going to have to go searching. Like you will have to parse through many groups to get to a golden egg. Or you can start your own group. That does require a lot of time and energy. Here will be the problems you face going forward trying to find or create said group:</div>
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Writers have real lives. Writers are fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters. Means life gets in the way. Most will not post as much as you want them to...</div>
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Writers are flaky. Writers come from all walks of life and my experience, many are flaky. Comes from being a dreamer.</div>
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Being active in social media is time-consuming. We've all been on Facebook. Enough said.</div>
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(If you create your own group) You will have to become a combination of warden, teacher, student, and writer. That's a lot of hats to wear. You will find much more in your tenure as a group admin.</div>
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Being a group admin is a thankless existence. Don't expect anyone to appreciate your efforts.</div>
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Does all this mean that you shouldn't even try to be part of a writers' group? Shrug. I can't answer that for you, you will have to make up your mind for yourself. Bear in mind that I've mainly listed the cons of joining writer groups. There are good points, too. Author's Tale puts on a yearly anthology. Scribblers Writing Organization puts together a magazine called Blood Puddles. Those are just to name a couple. In the end, you will have to weigh the pros and cons and see if being part of a writing group is worth your time.</div>
Writers’ Loungehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162308364869452418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797322801783023631.post-71606128049274589842018-01-16T05:00:00.000-08:002018-01-16T05:00:01.381-08:00Submitting a Story!<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Going to take a slight detour this week and talk about making submissions. For those of you that have been reading my series on crafting a story, I'm not done. This is more of my side piece. One that my main piece is totally aware of and cool with because my main piece knows that I'll always come back to it.</div>
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Anyways, making submissions.</div>
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You took a much-needed break from your novel and wrote yourself a short story. Awesome! Now you want to submit that story to a magazine? What are some things you should know about before submitting a piece to a magazine? Glad you asked! Let's look at your story first...</div>
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<span style="font-size: 20pt;">Does your story have the 'it' factor?</span></h3>
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When you are writing to submit to a magazine (or literary journal, e-zine, website, etc..), keep in mind some basic difference between short story writing and novel writing. These are important if you wish to get a short story published.</div>
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Short stories are shorter than novels. I know, you are saying, "Duuuuuuh." A short story is shorter but must still contain the essential parts of a story! Short stories aren't just scenes cut out of larger works, they must stand on their own. A short story must have a narrative arc that reaches some sort of resolution. If you are simply writing scenes, then the chances of your story being published are very slim.</div>
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First lines of short stories are much more important! You must grab a reader's (and magazine editor's) attention from the beginning and take them along for a ride. Editors have slush piles of unsolicited manuscripts and you are kidding yourself if you believe that most of them will always read the whole manuscript, every time. Most will give you a page, a paragraph, even maybe a sentence to grab their attention and make them want to keep journeying down the road with you. Make sure that your first line is an attention grabber.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaanOBBRd2KeTINvL8PgKZXzNQkt3PrXwXbZ-CZlE9nMz18suvvkIwFsIkymX1CXNNW1ndY9W1dr9mTPFWxD9d_yEGSWA4BunJmiv7KyqY1Z5SQULl9TvFiaZfE8vS2Q7496fzLomFXAo/s1600/KingLeo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaanOBBRd2KeTINvL8PgKZXzNQkt3PrXwXbZ-CZlE9nMz18suvvkIwFsIkymX1CXNNW1ndY9W1dr9mTPFWxD9d_yEGSWA4BunJmiv7KyqY1Z5SQULl9TvFiaZfE8vS2Q7496fzLomFXAo/s320/KingLeo.jpg" width="320" /></a>After the first line, you gotta keep it going! No time to waste on boring stuff! Gotta spit hot fire. What does that mean? It means, unlike novel writing where there is an ebb and flow, short stories are more condensed. You don't have time to lose a reader for a paragraph so you can describe the effort she makes when painting her toes. No three chapters describing how your protagonist buried a cat. THIS IS SHORT STORY WRITING! (Sorry, channeled my inner King Leonidas.) You have to make sure there are no wasted words in your submission! Condense, make sure every word counts towards the end goal: Taking your reader for a wild ride.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7mgBRmUyMx7gepN4j8i6STw_FyJuidE4zdBVunkgPNOW1zn_0iHgs3v2xqn68KHJbnrogTRRpYMyf8Gwqtu9EktlEpbE3Wo4OcbgYP9d4Jvrj4LHc3bf_Db1J_Lk8HlqFbgD9tR1iYKw/s1600/The+Kurgan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7mgBRmUyMx7gepN4j8i6STw_FyJuidE4zdBVunkgPNOW1zn_0iHgs3v2xqn68KHJbnrogTRRpYMyf8Gwqtu9EktlEpbE3Wo4OcbgYP9d4Jvrj4LHc3bf_Db1J_Lk8HlqFbgD9tR1iYKw/s1600/The+Kurgan.jpg" /></a>I'm going to use a quote from Highlander to explain how your story should be: IT IS BETTER TO BURN OUT THAN TO FADE AWAY - Kurgan</div>
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Burn us with your brightness!</div>
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<span style="font-size: 20pt;">A Note on Editing and Beta reading...</span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: small;">If you are saying to yourself, just because this is a short story, I don't need to get it edited or have it beta read then you are wrong. Don't think that you are someone so special that an editor will not put down your story in deference to your brilliance. While most magazines will make <i>minor</i> edits, mostly in format, they will not accept a piece that is full of grammatical errors. Just like anything else you write, let someone else read it, several someones if you can swing it, get their opinions, incorporate the ones that you think are needed, then have a final run through with an editor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 20pt;">Okay, our Story Sparkles... What's Next?</span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: small;">After making sure that our story is submission quality, now we need to find a magazine that will take our piece of writing. Time to do some research! You can Google markets where your submission would be welcome, spending hours slogging through the different websites to figure out which one to submit to... or you could cheat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I'm going to suggest two websites, one paid and one free, for making finding a place to submit easier. The free website is <a href="https://thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com/">Submission Grinder</a>. In the website's own words "</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Grinder is a submission tracker and market database for writers of fiction and poetry</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;">".A search engine specifically geared towards markets to submit your work! Now <a href="https://duotrope.com/">Duotrope</a> is much the same but a pay to use version. Supposedly, because you are paying for it, it is more up-to-date but I don't see much of a difference in the two in my opinion.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnzITRk6PL3kRxMZB6g63t126e4W2pWdsCUwe7spK6IW917noIVxCyD4e0MvDeKp6PFhp5glVYmkM9soofrVv_awhSoU8kq6ezveT70kCntgvWEP65oDCxFHMBpVCQSMTsGimrekP4f20/s1600/The+Grinder.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="1110" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnzITRk6PL3kRxMZB6g63t126e4W2pWdsCUwe7spK6IW917noIVxCyD4e0MvDeKp6PFhp5glVYmkM9soofrVv_awhSoU8kq6ezveT70kCntgvWEP65oDCxFHMBpVCQSMTsGimrekP4f20/s400/The+Grinder.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It tells you all sorts of cool stuff, like if a magazine is even active anymore!<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">As far as choosing one, familiarize yourself with the content of each magazine. Websites usually have one or two sample stories that give you a rough estimate of the stories that they publish. Don't skip this step! It is a waste of time, both for you and the editor, if you submit something that they wouldn't dream of publishing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 20pt;">We're ready to submit now, right?</span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: small;">At this point, with the magazine in mind, it is time to go over their submission guidelines. What? You're ready to send it off, it has been beta read and edited, it's perfect? Hold on! Submission guidelines give you information about formatting and information the editor wishes included in your submission. This is one of those points you can be auto-rejected before someone has even read your story. Follow their guidelines! </span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdA1BgsvBL5AhVZ7Gll5b8Hk1ljTVAbayYZtT4syNNPW5ekvcJrV1lTQtu2R25P-p49oVo4bxcfSiBrVvTC4f8e3B10Tp0DqkN082jW2x96_VIf2LM1z9JlrWxwAZcKyznTV7TC0MCH04/s1600/Frontmaterial.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="1037" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdA1BgsvBL5AhVZ7Gll5b8Hk1ljTVAbayYZtT4syNNPW5ekvcJrV1lTQtu2R25P-p49oVo4bxcfSiBrVvTC4f8e3B10Tp0DqkN082jW2x96_VIf2LM1z9JlrWxwAZcKyznTV7TC0MCH04/s320/Frontmaterial.PNG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Remember, you are submitting to their publication. You follow their rules. That simple. Now usually, a good rule of thumb, is to include your name and contact info in the upper left of your manuscript and the word count (rounded to the nearest hundred) in the upper right.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Some websites, those ones that wish to support your further work, will want you to send in a bio. This should be done in the third person and give readers a way to follow you. Don't overdo it with your credits. Limit yourself to three relevant publishing credits. An example:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Badass Writer lives in Extraordinaire City with his wife and 1.5 kids. He is a multi-genre writer who enjoys skydiving in is off time. His sci-fi story "I'm a Teenage Ninja Toaster" was published in Cool Story Online. For the ladies, his romance story, "I'm Pretty Hunky, Aren't I?" was published by Random Romance publishing. You can follow him on Twitter @youwishyouwereme or on Facebook @badasswriterspeaks.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Now, after you've read their guidelines and have your story formatted the way they want it, now it is time to submit! Find out how they want you to submit: email, snail mail, Submittable (or some other analogous online submission system). Do your thing!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 20pt;">Notes for after you've submitted</span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: small;">You've submitted, now comes the most dreaded part. Being patient. Unfortunately, there is no getting around this part. The average time that your submission kicks around the system? Probably around two months. Unless otherwise noted on their website, ninety days is the industry accepted length of time one should wait before querying about their story. That is only if their website doesn't state something different. Don't annoy an editor if their website clearly states that they can take up to six months to get back on submissions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Two terms you should familiarize yourself with are simultaneous submission and multiple submission. The former tells you whether the magazine allows you to submit the same story to other magazines. This is done with the understanding that you will immediately inform the magazine if your story has been accepted somewhere else. When a magazine allows multiple submissions, it means you don't have to wait until you hear back from a submission before you submit again. Many magazines do not allow for this, so make sure before you do this. If you don't see it, don't assume! Query the editor with any questions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">You should use some form of tracking for your submissions. It is very important! That way you aren't sending the same story out to places you've already sent it to and you aren't simultaneously submitting unless that is your intention and the places you're submitting to allow it. Most publications do not allow resubmission of rejected stories. Many don't want simultaneous submissions.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg69bCYKrw89qzldKYXuUjZSOMZgtWYsDdSRNEKg3IRbAlU-ZBEu8bmVonYz-MZwdwRo9yObjMKaiV7RMVWw1hBHui7ZE0gxf29emTQBerVtrKh4wU6It0uGhVyta-fIBzKvue6di1xv1k/s1600/Spreadsheetsnapshot.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="695" data-original-width="957" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg69bCYKrw89qzldKYXuUjZSOMZgtWYsDdSRNEKg3IRbAlU-ZBEu8bmVonYz-MZwdwRo9yObjMKaiV7RMVWw1hBHui7ZE0gxf29emTQBerVtrKh4wU6It0uGhVyta-fIBzKvue6di1xv1k/s320/Spreadsheetsnapshot.PNG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">If you are rejected and it is a form letter rejection, don't take it personally! Most publication editors don't have the time to write a personalized rejection to each and every individual that sends a story into their publication. That would be insane. Rejections are part of the game, get rejected with class. Say thank you and move on. There is a right place for your story, it just might take a while to find it.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">One final note, be careful where you post your work. Most publications will not accept work that has been in some way available to the public. That means if you post a story to Facebook or your blog, then you are disqualifying it from a majority of publishers out there.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br />
</div>
Writers’ Loungehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162308364869452418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797322801783023631.post-67565846944271714672018-01-13T21:31:00.001-08:002018-01-27T14:33:59.047-08:00Confidence, Fair Writer!<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
I have three stories published. One novella. I have a blog that gets a mediocre fan base. Nothing too wild. And I have folders on my computer filled with unpublished stories and half-finished ideas.</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Is this what I am as a writer?</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLic6JfCHN2nnkwR8to7reBqDpFu8qM9lWRjFAwoPDsYkoPSZ8ztXv_f7FlHTbmI7RyoepTQEk__rXIOF_rRnSnPmXQX-XmI5fhePbZEILrHubgEeG51-_fLLDjccxWwl7Y-ByuSAqw64/s1600/Profile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLic6JfCHN2nnkwR8to7reBqDpFu8qM9lWRjFAwoPDsYkoPSZ8ztXv_f7FlHTbmI7RyoepTQEk__rXIOF_rRnSnPmXQX-XmI5fhePbZEILrHubgEeG51-_fLLDjccxWwl7Y-ByuSAqw64/s320/Profile.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
I will tell you, with utter confidence, it is not. The whole of me as a writer is not my publishing credits. I am not a folder stuffed with stories that haven't seen the light of day. I am not the person that checks Amazon obsessively to figure out if I sold one more book. I can't honestly tell you the last time I checked.</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
What I am is a writer with his own unique voice.</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Do I write perfectly every time? No. I make mistakes. Some of my ideas don't pan out the way I want them to. That's okay, it doesn't mean I'm a failure. I don't regret those stories or feel they are a waste of time. I think of each of those missteps as a building block that lifts my future stories up. With each mistake, I grow as a writer. So I hope I make more mistakes so that I can grow to be a giant. And you know what?</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
I wish the same for you!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmNq30GohMNsQzP68x5b5Zss3ChOaqI4IWsk_2VDA14SAaLPZhsUciXxlQTz79DmFmaMJ1vq_-BxQAIJB2mw3iMlM12-mBDyueNy1nnVNUiP3lU6xlSzFHwcsluOy7T6EwqerZZzbpqAI/s1600/couple-2585328_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmNq30GohMNsQzP68x5b5Zss3ChOaqI4IWsk_2VDA14SAaLPZhsUciXxlQTz79DmFmaMJ1vq_-BxQAIJB2mw3iMlM12-mBDyueNy1nnVNUiP3lU6xlSzFHwcsluOy7T6EwqerZZzbpqAI/s320/couple-2585328_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
If you are beating yourself up over every little failure, stop. It does nothing but hold you back. Don't define yourself by your failures. Define yourself by your growth. Dare to fail. Try a different genre. Incorporate a literary device you've never tried before. Don't worry if you fail. Just know that even in failure, you've gained something from the experience and move on. Learn. Be better next time. A mountain doesn't climb itself.</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Some wisdom before I sign off. Don't compare yourself to other writers. They're on a different path than you. Their successes take nothing away from you or diminish you in any way. Treat your successes as the pinnacle of achievements and let no one take that away from you. Because to you, your achievements are. Treat your stories like your children. When you do, apply this adage: It takes a village to raise a child. Every story needs other sets of eyes to teach it manners and refine it into the story that it can be. Alpha readers, beta readers, editors. Don't be afraid to share your story with the community.</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Know that I support you. I celebrate every success with you, from you writing the first draft of your first two thousand word story to you signing a multi-book publishing contract with a major publishing house. Just like I hope you do for me. If you ever have a question, just ask, if I know it, I'll give you an answer. If not, I am almost certain I know someone who does. You can get a hold of me at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/deantheblogger">G Dean Manuel</a>. Happy writing!</div>
Writers’ Loungehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162308364869452418noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797322801783023631.post-78660585585362687592018-01-09T12:31:00.000-08:002018-01-09T12:31:21.395-08:00Crafting a Story Part FIVE (Crafting a Great Antagonist Part B)<h3 class="western">
<span style="font-size: 20pt;">Powers</span></h3>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I'm
not going to spend a great deal of time on this section as a
villain's powers will be similar in their creation to a hero's
powers. That being said, there are things you want to avoid when
making a villain's powers. Avoid making overpowered villains! Let's
talk examples:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Marc
has created his villain ReallyEvilDude to face off against his
protagonist TheGoodGuy. When choosing powers for his villain, he
decides that he should have the power UnstoppableWorldEnder5. To
counter such a power, TheGoodGuy must be given the power
DeuxExMachina but through the use of such a power is able to end the
threat of ReallyEvilDude and his ultimate power. World saved!</i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Why is that a bad thing, you ask? It is lazy writing.
Anything that you have to cheat to defeat as the writer, is lazy
writing. A villain should be balanced and concievably beatable. The
heroes should struggle against their foe but in the end, they should
reasonably find a way to defeat their foe through their own agency.
That's right, a hero should be able to defeat a foe without outside
intervention. Now, like any rule, this isn't set in stone but most
dramatic stories are ruined when, even though the hero struggled
through his heroic quest, in the end someone else had to save him
from the Big Bad at the end. It leaves a reader unfulfilled.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br />
</div>
<h3 class="western">
<span style="font-size: 20pt;">Relatable</span></h3>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">A
good rule of thumb for any antagonist is that they should be
relatable. What does that mean? A reader should be able to connect to
an antagonist at some level. A parent who lost a thier child and
watched the murderer go free because of the negligence of the court
system who then targets the very officials that let the murderer walk
free is a relatable character. We can empathize with what the
character is going through and, while we may not condone such
actions, we can see where the character would end up taking up the
mantle of villainy.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">But
why make your antagonist relatable? They are the villain! Because it
gives your story depth. When you don't feel for the person fighting
your protagonist there is no tension. Evil dragon eats princesses and
hero must stop him. Boring. Overdone. But what if the Mr. Evil Dragon
was once a peaceful creature that sought to preserve the natural
world? But through the continued depradations of the humans of blah
kingdom, the dragon had to watch everything it tried to protect be
destroyed. So, it kidnaps the princess to make the humans stop their
actions and take notice of the destruction that they are letting
happen. Suddenly, the dragon isn't the horrible, unredeemable evil
that he was in the first plot line. It isn't just some ravening
monster doing evil for evil's sake. Through a couple of lines of
backstory, we've given it a soul. Suddenly, it is something that
gives the readers pause when the protagonists finally confront it.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br />
</div>
<h3 class="western">
<span style="font-size: 20pt;">Last
Thoughts on Antagonists</span></h3>
<br /><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Okay,
for anything else that I've left out, it will be the same as when you
crafted your protagonist. Just refer to that post for further
instructions. In the end, when you craft any character, your number
one goal is to make it believable within the context of your
narrative.A believable, well-developed character will enhance the
quality of your storytelling. No person, ever, has said that the
characters were too well-crafted and relatable...</div>
Writers’ Loungehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162308364869452418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797322801783023631.post-3948172683829146082017-12-04T12:29:00.003-08:002017-12-06T08:34:12.867-08:00Crafting a Story part Four (Making a Great Antagonist, Part A)<h1 class="western">
<i style="font-weight: normal;"> So, we've got our protagonists and are ready to write our story. Or are we? If you have crafted a great protagonist, it is only fitting that you now make an antagonist that will challenge our newly minted protagonist. So, what goes into making an awesome antagonist that will give your hero a run for their money?</i></h1>
<br />
<h1 class="western">
Archetypes: The Villain Edition</h1>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Remember when we were crafting our heroes and talked about archetypes? Well, there are archetypes that fit in the scope of your antagonist.</div>
<ul>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%;">
<b>The Ruler</b> - Who doesn't love a despotic ruler? For them power isn't just a thing, it is the ONLY thing. This is the type of villain that loves to grind his opposition under his bootheel but more than likely does it through other agencies rather than himself. Examples include King Joffrey of GOT, Ming the Merciless of Flash Gordan, and Sebastian Shaw of X-men.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%;">
<b>The Temptress - </b> The Temptress can be the ultimate spy or assassin. This is a female dominated archetype but that doesn't mean that there aren't men that are Temptresses. This archetype focuses on subterfuge and manipulation rather than brute force. Examples include The Evil Queen from Snow White, Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars, The Enchantress from Thor.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%;">
<b>The Trickster</b> - This is another archetype that depends on trickery and manipulation rather than brute force. While the Temptress relies on sex appeal and charm, the Trickster is an archetype of traps and plans. Examples include The Riddler from Batman, Sweet from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Demon summoned during the episode "Once More with Feeling"), and Loki from the MCU.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%;">
<b>The Fanatic</b> - This archetype is the least likely to be swayed by arguments from the protagonist. This is the archetype of the believer that knows their actions are for the greater good and is willing to go any distance to achieve their goal. Many serial killers fall under this archetype. Examples include John Doe from Se7en, Ra's al Ghul from Arrow, and the Operative from the movie Serenity.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%;">
<b>The Betrayer</b> - Also known as the Heretic or the Traitor, this is the archetype that betrays their faith and ideals. They now fight against those things they hold dear. Examples include Horus from Warhammer 40k, Darth Vader of Star Wars, and the Warlock Lord from the Shannara Chronicles.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%;">
<b>The Beast</b> - This is the monster archetype, one of unending hunger and rage. This is one of the simplest archetypes to write as it is usually limited in intelligence. Examples include Doomsday from Superman, Moby Dick from the book of the same name, and the Balrog from Lord of the Rings.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%;">
<b>The Mastermind</b> - The planner or plotter. Usually, in control of several minor antagonists, he uses them to execute his plan to gain his goal. Examples include Captain Cold from Flash, Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes, and Keyser Soze from the Usual Suspects.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%;">
<b>The Corrupted</b> - The once good fallen into the role of villain. This could have many catalysts. Disillusionment. Mind-control. The list goes on. Examples include Harvey Dent from Batman, Macbeth from Macbeth, and Saruman from Lord of the Rings.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%;">
<b>The Dark Knight</b> - These are characters that believe they are heroes. They take a very extremist view of the vigilantism they may perform and are usually willing to kill for what they believe in. Most will adhere to a strict moral code that only they truly understand. Examples include Col. Nathan Jessup from A Few Good Men, Vigilante from Arrow, and Ozymandias from the Watchmen.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%;">
<b>The Devil</b> - This archetype is for those that are the personification of evil. Dark gods, demons, etc... Examples include Pennywise the Clown from IT, Lucifer from Supernatural, and Wednesday from American Gods.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%;">
<b>The Mercenary</b> - This is a person whose sole motivation is to be paid. Their services are to the highest bidder and so sometimes they can be defeated without bloodshed. Examples include Bullseye from Daredevil, Deathstroke from New Teen Titans, and Boba Fett from Star Wars.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%;">
<b>The Minion</b> - These are the characters that are servitors of some Dark Lord. Examples include The Terminator, Xenomorphs from Alien, and Ronan the Accuser of Guardians of the Galaxy.</div>
<br />
</li>
</ul>
<h1 class="western">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">The Catalyst</span></h1>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
This is a part of the antagonist creation that you do not necessarily share with the readers. The catalyst is the event that made the antagonist a villain. So, why is this important, especially if you aren't going to share this information with the reader?</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The catalyst is something that informs every action of your antagonists. Magneto does what he does because of the concentration camps of Nazi-occupied Poland. His catalyst shows in every single one of his actions. And remember, just because you don't immediately share an antagonist catalyst, doesn't mean you won't. Down the road, if you do share the catalyst, you will be glad that you thought of it at the beginning to keep the character more consistent.</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
What goes into a good catalyst, though? Well, here are several types of catalysts that will help shape your antagonist:</div>
<ul>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Tragedy - </b>One of the most basic types of catalysts, such an event can make a villain of even the best person. Mostly this catalyst is instigated by the death of a loved one.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Abused</b> - The antagonist was abused in some way and that turned them down the dark path of villainy.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Corruption - </b>This catalyst is the whispered word within a character's ear. Too late, the character finds out that he has gone down a dark and unredeemable path.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Mind-controlled</b> - This villain finds themselves under the direct control of another. This could be from an object, event, or person.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Indebted - </b>The antagonist finds themselves owing someone a debt that they cannot get out. This is a common theme in Supernatural.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Born to Evil - </b>Maybe one of the simplest catalysts, the antagonist was born evil.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Fulfilling a Need - </b>This is a catalyst that is very tricky because your antagonist is not necessarily dark, just desperate. Look at Mr. Freeze from Batman, his sole purpose is to find a way to revive and save his wife. Nothing else matters and he's willing to do whatever to accomplish his goals. But he doesn't do anything that isn't directly related to saving his wife.</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Now, when you are crafting your villain's catalyst, usually the best ones are stories that we can empathize with. What makes Magneto such a great villain is that we immediately understand why he is doing the things he does. We can see ourselves in his actions and, at some deep level, this frightens us because the line between good and evil is much thinner than we ever imagined. That is something you should strive to do with your antagonist, make them a dark mirror that shows us ourselves.</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Avoid being a villain apologist when writing these catalysts and eventually backstories. Such stories are given resonance when it is a decision that is fully in the antagonist's hands that leads them down the dark path. Remember that these are catalysts, they are the events that made a character a villain and are not necessarily something that is still happening. A mind-controlled antagonist could have broken the mind-control but decided that he liked feeling powerful as only he could when he is a villain.</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Eventually, every villain must be given the responsibility of their actions.</div>
Writers’ Loungehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162308364869452418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797322801783023631.post-3248151657238841072017-11-29T13:54:00.001-08:002017-11-29T13:54:45.478-08:00Crafting a Story, Part THREE(Creating a Protagonist Part B)<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Today we will be continuing our forging of our protagonists. We will cover powers, character descriptions, and what to do after we have a fully crafted character.</div><br />
<h1 class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.3in; margin-top: 0in;">
</h1>
<h1 class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Powers</h1>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Let's start with powers. First and foremost, powers aren't just for superheroes! When I talk about powers, I'm talking about anything that gives your character an advantage over everyone else in your story. In Doctor Who, it would be the sonic screwdriver. In the Bourne series, Jason Bourne's insane level of expertise. In the "Christmas Carol", Tiny Tim's power was </span>kindness<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">. In Superman... well, for Superman it is everything. (Side note: Did you realize that Superman was given the power of </span>superknitting<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">. That's right, </span>superknitting<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">. Ah, the early ages of comics.)</span><br />
With great power comes great responsibility.<br />
Well, when giving great powers there comes an even greater responsibility.</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
To start with, let's split powers into different categories: innate, magical, technological, or skill-based. Why is this important? Well, each one defines a power sets inborn strength and weaknesses. Let me explain.</div>
<ul>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<b>Innate - </b>Innate abilities are something that your protagonist can use without an outside force. They are his and no one can knock it out of his hand or stop him from saying the incantation. He isn't necessarily born with it, but it is something that is now a part of him during the story. Innate powers tend to be more reactionary than other powers. Examples would be Superman's flight, Spiderman's wall crawling, or Riddick's ability to see in the dark.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<b>Magical - </b>Magical covers a wide variety of power sets. They can be talismans or spells. These powers can typically be stopped by depriving the protagonist of the talisman or somehow disabling their ability to "cast" the spell. This type of power tends to rely on a characters intuition. Examples would be King Arthur and Excalibur, Merlin, Green Lantern and his ring, or the different forms of martial arts in Naruto.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<b>Technological - </b>This type is very close to magical. It relies heavily on objects to supply the "power" for the protagonist. These types of powers, many times, rely on intelligence more than anything else. Examples would be Rocketeer and his jetpack, Punisher and his guns, Batman and his utility belt, and Dade Murphy (Zero Cool) and his computer from Hackers.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<b>Skill-based - </b>These are abilities that a character has trained to do. Such things like martial arts, deciphering ancient runes, or chemistry. These skills can range from physical to mental. Examples are Jason Bourne ('nuff said), Bruce Lee and his martial arts, Daniel Jackson from SG-1, and Doc Brown from Back to the Future.</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Understand, not every protagonist will need powers but they don't have to be limited to Science Fiction/Fantasy. Every genre can have powers, you probably wouldn't call them powers. So, for Theresa and Ghost Dog, I've given them both powers. Now, my very first concern will be how it will affect the story? Secondly, do the powers <i>add</i> to my character or do their powers <i>become </i>the characters.</div>
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How can powers effect your narrative? Well, their very existence can create major plot holes in the skein of your story. In use, they can lead to lazy writing. Many powers become deus ex machina within storylines. So, how do we avoid these?</div>
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Let's address the concern of plot holes. What is a plot hole? It is a gap or inconsistency in the narrative. Remember the giant eagles from the Lord of the Rings? That is a power (don't argue, being able to summon giant eagles to rescue you is a power!) that was not only an inconsistency but also a deus ex machina. Why was it an inconsistency? Look at the story... I'll give you a minute. Ok, done? Why couldn't the giant eagles fly Frodo to Mt Doom at the beginning? The whole story would have been solved. Other powers can do the same thing! If my quest hinges upon an object that is hidden behind an impregnable door and part of the narrative is taken up by them finding a way to open said door, I probably shouldn't give someone the ability to teleport. Or can I? You can, you just have to give the power a limiting factor. What is that? Take the above situation. A character with an ability to teleport would trash that storyline, right? What if he had to see where he was going? Suddenly, by limiting his power, I get to have my cake and eat it, too! He can still pop around but now he won't create a plot hole within my narrative! You can find examples of this all over the place. Superman's powers are dependant on our yellow sun, Moon Knight's powers are dependant on the moon (gasp!), and Rogue's power is always on. These limiting factors provide the writers with workarounds to said characters powers within a story arc.</div>
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Now, how do you make sure your character's power becomes a deus ex machina? To start, a deus ex machina is a literary device that translates literally to 'god from the machine'. It is when an unsolvable problem is suddenly conquered by some character, event, ability, or object. Voila! Happy ending. Does it resolve your story? Yes, it does. Does it do it satisfactorily? Probably not. Deux ex machina is the plot device of the lazy writer. Don't ruin your story and the struggle of your protagonist by going for the quick and easy fix to everything. Stories are about overcoming hardship, that's what makes them engaging! Batman's utility belt, Superman (no, seriously, the whole character is a deus ex machina), Reed Richards hyper-inventiveness are all examples where powers become deus ex machina. You will please your readers more if your characters had to struggle for a solution beyond I punch it really hard because I'm Superman.</div>
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Now, we want to make sure that the powers are just a tool in our protagonist's arsenal and not everything about the character. While a power should be cool, it shouldn't be a defining characteristic of your character. Meaning, if the power was taken away, the character should still be able to stand on its own. Without the Hulk, Bruce Banner is still one of the smartest people on the planet. Taken down to the bare bones, your character should be fully fleshed out, not just a vehicle for whatever power you've given them.</div>
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Let's craft our powers. For Theresa, I'm going to give her the ability to slow down time. That is way too huge! Now, let's consider how that will affect our story. Well, if she was able to do this all the time, no one would ever get close to her. So, I need a limiting factor. How about duration? She can only do it for a maximum of thirty seconds at a time. Still, what's to stop her from using it back to back? Hmmm... what if the use of the power exhausts her? Suddenly, her power to slow down time becomes something she would have to use much more carefully. Not only does she have just thirty seconds but at the end of that time, she will be exhausted and vulnerable. I will also give her the ability to heal fast, be immune to disease, and fast reflexes. Looking at my story, these powers should only have a negligible impact. Looking over Theresa, do her powers define her? Would she still be an interesting character without them? I'm going to give that a confident yes.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">On to Ghost Dog. I want to go for broke. Now, he is very nature's warrior, so I'm going to give him something primal. His powers are going to be based on several tattoos. <span style="color: black;">Bear provides him strength, Wolf leaves and becomes a guardian that will fight alongside him, Hawk will take off and scout from the eye giving him overhead vision, Dolphin allows him to hold his breath for long periods of time, Mouse detaches and can squeeze through spaces to scout out places where only small things may go, and snake makes him immune to poison.</span> Wow, those are some cool powers. Being immune to poison isn't a big deal, so will make that power always active. Water-breathing? Potentially down the line, he could be put in a situation that he needs it. I'll make it able to be used once a day for six hours max. That way, he can't just stay underwater the whole time. Mouse can be called whenever and can stay out for however long. I don't see that ability to be potentially world shattering. Now, we come to Bear, Wolf, and Hawk. I'm going to limit Bear the most. Super-strength is just such a lazy power. He'll be able to call upon it for five minutes but then Bear has to rest for two hours. Wolf, six hours but can't be called for that long. Hawk, one hour and not back for two. He will also have superior healing, immunity to disease, and fast reflexes. We will even say it is because of common ancestry. Looking Ghost Dog over, I think it makes him awesome without unbalancing him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">At this point, you can give your powers interesting stories that explain them. Think about the two power sets. Don't you think that Ghost Dog's powers are just a little bit cooler because the powers are from the tattoos and not some nebulous reason? That isn't to say you have to always explain powers, some are just going to be cooler than others. I'm going to leave Theresa's as is because everything in moderation. When everyone's got cool powers, no one has cool powers. Except for Iceman.</span></div>
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Character Descriptions</h1>
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Most of a character's description is for the writer and not the reader. You can know that your MC has a scar on her right butt cheek that she got when her dermatologist removed a mole but is that pertinent to the story? If not, then your reader doesn't need to know. So why come up with a detailed character description if the reader isn't going to hear most of it?</div>
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A full and rich character description can make a character come alive in your mind.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00yC4we9hf7n_2BMbrQbEZnQUigV3IVrHORcNQe50drwzp_MLJZqsdinu5w8_NYwehHduUCCWszcBUmHSGPH1IjlaAknWiQXKxUBDUn0fBV52D26Uv3EjCgI8mUy4lxQNl_N0wnfyFVk/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="458" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00yC4we9hf7n_2BMbrQbEZnQUigV3IVrHORcNQe50drwzp_MLJZqsdinu5w8_NYwehHduUCCWszcBUmHSGPH1IjlaAknWiQXKxUBDUn0fBV52D26Uv3EjCgI8mUy4lxQNl_N0wnfyFVk/s320/Capture.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Notice how my descriptions aren't limited to physical. I've included her anxiety and the fact that she bites her nails. Because this helps me form an image of Theresa in my mind. When it comes time to write the story, this will be very important.</div>
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Now, when writing up a character description, I would stay away from making their features match their attitudes unconsciously. On purpose and with purpose, this is fine. Make sure to understand why you are giving a character certain features. Making a thief look like a rat or giving a guard hawkish facial features. People don't usually have features that define their temperament.</div>
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That being said, recognize features that are common to people because of how they act. Being shy can't affect bone structure but it can influence a character's haircut. A character can't help that they have long fingers but can control that their fingernails are well-manicured. Just remember that not every anxious person is a nail-biter and not every well-dressed man is a neat freak.</div>
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Going Beyond the Character's Creation</h1>
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Now that we are done with character creation, I'm done with these guys until I begin to write my story, right? I can just shelve them until it comes time to start writing?</div>
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No.</div>
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Now that you have that image in your mind, you don't want to lose it now, do you? Do you know everything there is to know about your characters? More than likely, these characters aren't jumping off the page with life. Less so if you shelve them for later use. Have some fun with them. Personally, I would suggest writing a two to five hundred word prompt daily about something mundane your character(s) encounter. Theresa takes Ghost Dog donut shopping. What is her favorite? Has Ghost Dog ever had a donut? I feel like he would be more of a fruit flavored donut guy versus a chocolate donut guy. Stick your characters in mundane situations and see how they would react and you'll come close to making them alive in your head.</div>
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This concludes the protagonist part of our program. Stay tuned next when we discuss the making of a villain!</div>
Writers’ Loungehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162308364869452418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797322801783023631.post-75082084741168625302017-11-27T18:09:00.000-08:002017-11-28T11:31:11.807-08:00Crafting A Story, Part THREE (Creating a Protagonist, Part A)<div style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
I'm going to go more in depth in what I did to craft my two protagonists. In another article, I will tackle what it took to craft my antagonists. But for now, let's start with...</div>
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Crafting my Protagonists</h1>
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Creating a protagonist is a process. There are a few steps that I will go through that leads me to my protagonists and I will lead you through them. It is important that your protagonists stand out and don't just blend into the framework of your narrative. The first rule is they need to be interesting to you! If they aren't interesting to you how can you expect them to be interesting to anyone else?<br />
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Giving Them Archetypes</h1>
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What is an archetype?</div>
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I think of an archetype like the creamy center of a piece of candy. It is the basis for the motivations of your characters and their interactions with the world. It is a broad set of characteristics that the character has, sort of a foundation we can build upon. These are some of the common types of archetypical characters that I look at when creating my characters:</div>
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<b>The Hero -</b> This one is easy. Brave and true, he quests to improve the world. The hero has filled the pages of comic books since the beginning of time. He stands up for what is right and does not allow evil to fester. <i>Examples: Sir Gawain(Arthurian legend), Superman, Optimus Prime(Transformers), Aragorn(Lord of the Rings).</i></div>
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<b>The Everyperson - </b>This is the normal person. Someone that your audience can relate and connect to throughout your story. Essential the average joe thrown into extraordinary circumstances. They tend to have an overwhelming need to belong. <i>Examples: Terry McGuinness(Batman Beyond), Rogue(X-men), Ron Weasley(Harry Potter), Bilbo Baggins(The Hobbit).</i></div>
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<b>The Caregiver - </b>Character that is motivated by a need to assist others. They tend towards altruism and lend a hand with no expectation of repayment. <i>Examples: Mother Theresa, Obi Wan Kenobi(Star Wars), Marry Poppins, Leigh Anne Tuohy (The Blindside)</i></div>
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<b>The Innocent - </b>This character is full of eternal optimism and boundless energy. They tackle life with the purest of intentions. They are paragons of virtue. <i>Examples: Kaylee (Firefly), Kronk(Emperor's New Groove), Giselle(Enchanted), Forrest Gump.</i></div>
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<b>The Orphan - </b>These characters are pragmatists. They have had to grow up fast and are independant. Orphans seek safety and security but tend to have gruff exteriors. Now, most people bundle this in with the Everyman, but I think of them as two different archetypes. <i>Examples: Peter Pan, Oliver Twist, Dean Winchester(Supernatural), Batman.</i></div>
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<b>The Wizard -</b> Someone with extraordinary abilities, not necessarily magical. But then, not necessarily unmagical. These characters are visionaries and wish to evoke change in the world around them. <i>Examples: Gandalf(Lord of the Rings), Merlin(Arthurian legend), Darth Vader(Star Wars), Reed Richards(Fantastic 4).</i></div>
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<b>The Explorer - </b>This character is a seeker, always looking to find its true self. They are characters that will always want to do things themselves. They need no motivation to find out what is just around the bend. <i>Examples: James T. Kirk(Star Trek), Indiana Jones, Alan Quatermain(King Solomon's Mines), Captain Nemo(20,000 Leagues Under the Sea).</i></div>
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<b>The Lover - </b>They seek true love. It is in them that we see that love is possible and even hopeful. These characters can go beyond a traditional "lover" and represent the love of life or friendship also, for example. <i>Examples: Prince Charming(Snow White), Samwise Gamgee(Lord of the Rings) Lassie, Romeo and Juliet.</i></div>
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<b>The Sage - </b>The wise old cook, the hermit, or the sage upon the mountain. Also known as the Mentor, the Sage is a character with information to impart. <i>Examples: Luke Skywalker(The Force Awakens), Bishop(Waiting), Professor X(X-men), Dumbledore(Harry Potter).</i></div>
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<b>The Outlaw - </b>The loveable rogue. The man who stands against the establishment for the common man. These strike a chord with the part of us that wishes to defy the world. They are known for using questionable means to achieve their goal of liberation. <i>Examples: Billy the Kid(Young Guns), Robin Hood, Tris(Divergent), Moon Knight(Moon Knight comics).</i></div>
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<b>The Jester - </b>This archetype uses humor to highlight the hypocrisy of the world around us. Often we can take hard truths when given to us through the mouth of the Jester. <i>Examples: Austin Powers, Dori(Finding Nemo), Random(Chronicles of Amber), Jane(Firefly).</i></div>
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Now you are telling yourself those aren't all the archetypes, not even all the common ones. This is absolutely true. These are the main ones I focus on while creating a protagonist. Others, like the Ruler, are better suited for either side characters or antagonists.</div>
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Understand that a character doesn't necessarily fall into only one archetype. Many of the archetypes overlap often with one another. Robin Williams in <i>Mrs. Doubtfire</i> was not only a Caregiver but a Jester.</div>
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So, let's look at my character Theresa. I'm going to make her an Orphan. She will be a realist, which makes it hard for her to accept her destiny. Underlying this will be a need to belong to something greater than herself so she will be secretly excited. Her pragmatism will manifest itself in her willingness to suspend her disbelief while her life is threatened.</div>
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Ghost Dog will be different, he will combine two archetypes: The Hero and the Destroyer. I know, I didn't mention that one. It is because I feel that it is <i>usually</i> a villain archetype. Ghost Dog will be the Hero, straight and true, willing to risk life and limb to accomplish his goal and make the world a better place. He will also have issues with anger control. This makes him the Destroyer. His actions and words will sometimes be dictated by a rage that he cannot always control.</div>
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<b>Defining my Characters Goals</b></h1>
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But my characters already have a goal, it is the plot of the novel! While that may be true, characters also have goals defined by their personalities. Think of an organization like Greenpeace. Overall, they have the same goal, yet each individual will have personal goals that, while remaining within the purview of the overarching goal, will be different from person to person.</div>
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My characters are individuals and as such have their own wants and desires which effects the way they do things and go about their lives.</div>
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For Theresa, her goals will be survival and belonging. Now, I have to ask myself why does she wish those things. Survival is a bit self-explanatory. While she wishes to attain her goal, her goal is to survive this fantastic adventure. Belonging is not so self-explanatory. Part of the reason I've chosen this is because of her age. As a teenager, one of the major goals is to feel like one belongs. We never really lose that trait but it becomes less noticeable as we get older. The second reason is that she lives on the fringes of her peer social group. Not really an outsider but not really fully accepted. That makes her thirst to belong.</div>
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Ghost Dog. Oh, Ghost Dog. He is the Hero so his ultimate goal will be to complete his quest. One of his minor goals includes showing up those around him. We will discuss this more fully during the next part, but suffice it to say that he is prideful. He will also have the goal of redeeming himself. Sometime in the past, he failed and almost everything about him centers around this one goal. He is driven by it.</div>
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<b>Character Quirks, Flaws, and Traits</b></h1>
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We are getting to the fun stuff! Creating a character is more than crafting witty dialogue or extensive character description. I want my characters to live and breathe. To do that, I have to give them more than two dimensions.</div>
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Let's start with quirks. Quirks are something that identifies a character easily. One Firefly, Zoe was always shown cleaning her guns. Not only was this a character quirk, it showed that she was always preparing for battle. These are habits, eccentricities, etc... that are the characters. For Theresa, she has a huge online presence. She spends most of her time online thus she has accrued a list of skills and associations from that. This will show itself in her always posting things or when she is in doubt, finding an online compatriot to assist her. Ghost Dog, on the other hand, is more of a Luddite. Not entirely, but he relies on nature and his own skills more than technology. These aren't all the quirks, but in the interest of space, I'm not going to go into them. I believe that a good character has one or two quirks they can be identified with easily. Don't overdo it, or your character will go from quirky to just plain weird.</div>
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Flaws. Flaws can make a story. How many of us would read if Superman didn't have a weakness to Kryptonite? To start with, flaws should be real. Let me specify. If you are going to give a character a flaw then it should actively hinder the character in some meaningful way. Otherwise you are just tricking your audience and eventually, they will catch on. Theresa will be socially awkward and deal with a high level of anxiety. During the story, this will manifest in her having panic attacks and freezing during crucial moments. She will also sometimes say things just to get the attention off of her. Ghost Dog suffers from an ignorance of social niceties and rage. This makes it harder for him to convince others to help. His rage monster also shows up at times when he needs to react rationally to a situation.</div>
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Traits are different from quirks in that they are not something specific but a broader attribute. The reason I separate traits from quirks, I think of quirks as something identifiable while traits show character commonalities. When I say quirk, only one character will have it, when I say trait, multiple characters will show a common strain through that trait maybe. Many characters could be taciturn but only one character is mute.</div>
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For Theresa, I will make her inquisitive, a dreamer, and a skeptic. Ghost Dog will be taciturn, serious, and without humor.</div>
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To put this all together, Theresa is the Orphan. She is driven by central desires to belong to something. This manifests in a life that she has created for herself online because her anxiety makes one in the real world hard. She doesn't like to be the center of attention. Her anxiety also manifests in her choice not to overextend herself and try new things. She fears to fail, especially around other people. Because she is pragmatic, she lives her life mostly online, it is where she has the most friends but she always dreams of doing something that will make other people accept her even though she's scared to death of failing such an endeavor. From spending much of her time online, she has learned not to trust anything and is skeptically of anything that she cannot see facts about. Online has opened her eyes to some wonderful things and she loves learning new things all the time.</div>
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Ghost Dog failed sometime in the past. This is the driving characteristic of his personality. He is taciturn because he doesn't believe that much of anyone has anything worthwhile to say. The failure in his past also gave him a deep-seated rage that he finds hard to control at times. He is somewhat of a Luddite, only using the convenience of transportation in the form of a motorcycle, but otherwise loves relying on his own skills. Looks down on people and their addiction to technology. Is reckless because he failed once and that broke him, now he has vowed that he shall not repeat such a thing. He is dogged and will not stop, even on pain of death, until he has succeeded.</div>
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I think that is enough today, in the next few days there will be a second part that will deal with powers and physical descriptions. Hope you will all catch it when it comes out!</div>
Writers’ Loungehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162308364869452418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797322801783023631.post-7924606924483578462017-11-19T14:04:00.000-08:002017-11-19T14:04:10.515-08:00Crafting a Story, Part TWO<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
So, now I've got my inspiration, I've expanded upon it, and started creating characters. I've created two protagonists, a few supporting characters for each, and an antagonist to face against. Now is the time for me to start asking important questions about the different elements of my story. Let's look at the questions I start asking myself:</div>
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<b>THEME</b> - When I was expanding my inspiration, I decided that I would have a theme of racing against the clock. I'm going to further this by making it Time is not an ally. I also want an element of sacrifice in my story. How will I show those themes? Now that I have decided, I will pepper my narrative with things like the ticking of a clock, alarms going off, characters asking for the time. The theme of sacrifice will be seen in the characters and their actions.</div>
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<b>PLOT - </b>We already have our plot, don't we? Sure, we have what the story is about but now we have to look at the different elements of the plot and make sure that we are giving them their just dues. First is Exposition, the information necessary to understand the story. During the story, I need to explain that there is a great evil sealed behind a barrier that has a warden who is dying. Furthermore, my main character Theresa is destined to take this warden's place. This information will be peppered throughout the story, but at the beginning, you will only know about Theresa and that she is sixteen in twelve days. Next, we need the complication, the event that sets off the plot. That one is easy, it is when she reads the prophecy written on the wall of the bathroom. After that, it is the Climax. This is when the characters try to resolve the conflict. This will happens when she and Ghost Dog start on the road to Ireland to keep the great evil sealed away. Lastly, we come to Resolution. This will be when they finally arrive and fix the problem with the warden. Whew, that was easy!</div>
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<b>POINT OF VIEW - </b>Time to decide what we are going to write the story in... Since this is going to be a longer narrative, I will definitely be choosing third person omniscient. I've chosen this style because I want to be free to be in everyone's heads during my narrative. This will allow my freedom since I don't have one protagonist but two, to dumpster dive into each of their heads at any point. </div>
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<b>SETTING - </b> Well, since I chose to make this Urban Fantasy, most of this will happen in a city setting. Now, I could do a bunch of studying up on another city and try my best to make it sound authentic, but I think I'm going to go with Kansas City since I live in the area. Of course, they will eventually travel to Ireland where I will have to research a good area. Beyond physical location, I should start thinking about things like time period (modern), societal conditions (current), and any weather conditions that may affect the story.</div>
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<b>CONFLICT - </b>Now I have to work out my conflict for the story. There will end up being two types of conflict in my story. The first and most obvious will be HUMAN vs HUMAN. This will be the pitting of Theresa and Ghost Dog against Gary. This will be the major conflict of the story. A minor conflict that will also be part of the story is HUMAN vs SELF. It will be Theresa's internal struggle against the belief that she can't do what she is being asked to do. It will also be present in Ghost Dog when his confidence is shaken.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>TONE - </b>This is the emotional content of the story. I'm going to go for a somber/anxious tone throughout the story, which will help with the themes of sacrifice and time working against them.</div>
</li>
</ol>
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<h1 align="CENTER" class="western">
<b>Character Arcs</b></h1>
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
I've asked myself the essential questions, I've got the scaffolding up to build a great story structure. So, now I have to start really designing the architecture of my story. The first one I'm going to tackle is my character arcs.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Part of building a fascinating character is giving them powerful character arcs. Character arcs are the spiritual or emotional journey that a character must endure through the course of the story. Like in real life, they can be positive or negative, sometimes both. So, let's figure out some character arcs!</div>
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So, for Theresa, I'm going to have two character arcs, each one resolved through the course of the story. The first one will be her battle against her anxiety and low self-esteem. It will cause her to not act within the story, torn by indecision. By the end of the story, through her journey, she will be a more confident, capable, young woman. The second will be a minor bit of unrequited attraction to Ghost Dog. Theresa falls for him because she has spent her entire life in a fantasy life within her head and Ghost Dog seems to be the knight in shining armor that she has been waiting for. This has a negative impact on her throughout the story as she acts like a starry-eyed mooncalf. It will be resolved before the end of the story but I will keep that under my hat for now.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Ghost Dog will have one major character arc which will be a negative arc. His unwillingness to compromise and his willful use of brute force to answer situations will lead to problems for the character within the story.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Now, these are by no means the only character arcs within the story, some of the minor characters have their own arcs, but I can't reveal everything to you! I want you to read the story at the end.</div>
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<h1 align="CENTER" class="western">
Subplots</h1>
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Subplots are secondary stories that are happening during the narrative that does not necessarily intersect with the main plot. It is important that you do not have too many subplots as they can distract from the main plot. Even when they intersect with the plot. I will have two subplots. One will be running concurrently with the main plot line. It will have to do with the Princess Eversil. I will have her subplot intersect the main plotline towards the end of the story. The second plotline will be a romantic subplot between Theresa and her friend Jessica that will mirror Theresa's character arc with Ghost Dog. I am doing this to call attention to the absurdity of her lamenting her situation with Ghost Dog, who doesn't notice her desires. We will discuss this further in the next section.</div>
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<br /></div>
<h1 align="CENTER" class="western">
Literary Devices</h1>
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<br />
Literary devices are techniques writers use to produce a special effect in their writing. Examples of literary devices are alliteration/assonance (the repeating of sounds in words that are closely grouped together), metaphor (comparisons made of unlikely duos "Passive voice is a witch in Salem to some writers"), or foreshadowing.</div>
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At this point, I'm going to look at some of the literary devices that I would have to set up use. In the previous section, I talked about a minor subplot of Jessica's infatuation with Theresa and using it as dramatic irony for Theresa's own infatuation with Ghost Dog. I have also decided to pepper the story with motifs of time and sacrifice. Finally, I have decided to use foreshadowing within my story.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Now the reason I am deciding whether I am using these literary devices here is that I want to be consistent with my usage of them throughout my narrative. The motif of time and sacrifice needs to be shown from beginning to end to actually have an effect on the audience. It would not be good to put the foreshadowing in a chapter before the resolution of the story.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
There will, of course, be literary devices that you use on the fly, onomatopoeia comes to mind, but these benefit by you knowing that you are going to use them ahead of time.</div>
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<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Tomorrow I will start plotting my chapters and working further on fleshing out my character arcs, subplots, and literary devices to fully integrate them into the story.</div>
Writers’ Loungehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162308364869452418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797322801783023631.post-72100650661815537192017-11-17T14:30:00.000-08:002017-11-17T14:30:37.626-08:00Crafting a Story, Part ONE<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
So starts a journey that I will endeavor to bring you along. I will be plotting, writing, then editing a story that will eventually be posted to this blog. In these series of posts, I will be detailing the steps I take to writing the story. Hopefully, you will enjoy the ride and find it helpful!</div>
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<h1 style="text-align: center;">
Inspiration</h1>
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<br /></div>
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Where do we get inspiration? Well, for this story, the bolt of mental lightning came in the form of a conversation with one of my local librarians, Lisa. I find that the local library staff is a wonderful resource of information and underused by the vast majority of writers. It may be worth the trip to the local library to chum it up with your local staff.</div>
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Lisa loves to keep me abreast of novels that are coming out and tell about the newer ones that she's read. My eureka moment didn't come as she was detailing the plot of a story but when she told me the name of a book that she had seen, "Words on Bathroom Walls".</div>
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Bazinga!</div>
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(For those of you that don't understand, that's the sound of mental lightning.)</div>
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What was the idea, you ask? Well, it was a really simple one: Young girl finds prophecy on a bathroom wall. That's it, now let's see where we take it.</div>
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<br /></div>
<h1 style="text-align: center;">
Developing the Idea!</h1>
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<br /></div>
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Ok, the first step in developing the idea beyond its nascent stage is to flesh it out a bit. Let's expand!</div>
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First of all, we need to decide what kind of story we are writing. Science Fiction? Literary fiction? Well, we have a prophecy, so probably Fantasy is best. I decide to go with Urban Fantasy. That gives me a guiding principle. Now, there needs to be conflict. We can use the prophecy to set this up. What does the prophecy say and what does it motivate the main character to do? I start with asking myself some simple questions. What form does the prophecy take? What does it reveal?</div>
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I've decided that I want my prophecy in the form of a poem. It will be broken up into six quatrains, with every two lines dealing with a different time from one to twelve. So the prophecy will be heavily laden with the concept of time passing. This means that I will have to infiltrate my story with the concept of time: clocks, watches, people talking about it, etc.</div>
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Now that we have the form of the prophecy construct, we move on to the content of the poem. What does it show that the main character must do? My prophecy is counting towards an awakening. Each hour is metaphorical, not an actual hour. It tells of a seal that is breaking because of the dying of the warden and the need for a replacement. So, that's our main character.</div>
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So, now we have our conflict: Girl finds prophecy scrawled on a bathroom wall that starts her on a quest to replace a dying warden before a seal can be broken and an ancient evil returned to the world.</div>
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<h1 style="text-align: center;">
Characters</h1>
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<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
So,
the last thing we will work on today is characters.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
So,
let's start with a little bit about the process. I've taken the day
and just thought about the characters. Really brought them up in my
head. My usual process is having a conversation with them. I find
that it is illuminating when I talk to my characters, I find out all
sort of fun stuff about them. Along the way, if they come up with
something I don't know about, I familiarize myself with it. I don't
hold with "write what you know", I hold with "write what you've
researched well".
</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
While
those characters are brewing inside my head, this is where I'll start
my plotting spreadsheet. First page: Characters.</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
I
set it up to contain five points for every character in this story.
These are character name, physical desciption, character motivation,
powers, and notes. So, we start with the main characters. Well, she's
a girl that reads some writing on a bathroom wall. What else is there
about her?</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
I
started with her name. Given that we are dealing with fantasy, I
wanted to give her a normal name, because I have an inkling we are
going to be dealing with Fey and there will be odd names aplenty. I
settled on Theresa "Terry" Smith. I proceeded to give her a
character description and motivations. One of the things I decided
was to make her a teenager. She just turned sixteen. Also, to make
her relatable, I decided that would spend a lot of time online
because she suffers from social anxiety.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Now,
someone needs to come to motivate Terry to follow the prophecy. So, I
create my half-faerie warrior. I fall back on faeries because it is a
subject that I'm well versed in. I like the idea of a half-faerie
warrior, something that symbolizes the joining of two worlds, the
mystical and the modern. His name should not be normal, I decided. I
settle on the name Ghost Dog. I not only like the name but it will
also be integral to one of the literary devices I will be using
later. What powers can I give him that will make him stand out? He
can't just be a warrior. Well, he could but I want to go for broke.
How about a warrior with the power of tattoos? I describe him as
being covered head to toe in Pictish runes and the tattoos of six
animals. Under powers, I further define what each tattoo does and
their limitations.</div>
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I
create a few side characters. Friends of Theresa, Ghost Dog's
campatriots and contacts, the faerie king he must deliver Theresa to,
and my antagonist. Now, this will not be a complete list. I will
continue to work on characters throughout plotting and may even find
myself adding to the character list as I'm writing, but this gives me
a good character structure from which to pull from. Decisions have to
be made. Like, how many friends does Theresa have? She's a shy girl
but also a teenager. I decide that in the real world, she'll have
two. Online, she'll have several more but other than maybe one,
they'll just be online monikers. I will not be detailing those here,
I want to leave something of a surprise. I don't spend a lot of time,
just getting the protagonists, the antagonists, and a few essential
characters out of they way. When I start plotting out the actual
story, more characters will make themselves known to me.</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
I
will tell you one thing, the main antagonist of the story will be a
guy named Gary. I decided that I wasn't going to name him anything
crazy and would avoid the letters V, S, and Z. Apparently there are
way too many villain names that start with those letters. Ok, we've
got our basics, tomorrow we will start plotting!</div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYq3WOxjlgGwlHrTKOqMvmM6fvSAWJo_ZyQXIEIem917gff_BhkiMSOLuRoE2HldvV5mlYdocZ5va7o6LrVO_XCi7XBt0V7_mdHuwZo8YCDTQz4Hgv64FX6Mp2J-lQoF_1QEIfEs9R9hk/s1600/23757958_10155884932486060_1565644453_o.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYq3WOxjlgGwlHrTKOqMvmM6fvSAWJo_ZyQXIEIem917gff_BhkiMSOLuRoE2HldvV5mlYdocZ5va7o6LrVO_XCi7XBt0V7_mdHuwZo8YCDTQz4Hgv64FX6Mp2J-lQoF_1QEIfEs9R9hk/s640/23757958_10155884932486060_1565644453_o.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A sample of my character spreadsheet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<br /></div>
Writers’ Loungehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162308364869452418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797322801783023631.post-64122957991137973862017-11-13T07:00:00.000-08:002017-11-13T07:00:06.739-08:00The Power of the First Line<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The first line.</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Yup, I really just made my first line 'The first line'. It is like a handshake with our readers. So, what makes a good first line? Well, there are a few things that you have to do.</div>
<ul>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Capture your readers attention!</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Set the tone for your novel.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Introduce readers to your 'voice'.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Hook your audience (I know that is the same as the first. It bears repeating.)</div>
</li>
</ul>
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So, why should you start out with a bang? Most publishers and editors <i>say </i>that they decide within the first three pages. The truth is much worse than that. You may have the first few paragraphs. Worse still, you may have only one sentence!</div>
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Make it count.</div>
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<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
So, how do we start a novel off running instead of walking? Well, let's look at some of great writers for guidance.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>A first line should make readers ask questions</b></span></div>
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</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK0qCloZ-K536LaDQmDKmFFVx3c6_MdkvC9eqHiNu_USelRuPRHWTB8BQc8TkATeQVok9PG2ms_wwf-sPuHDVPokXIjPQJRzxCr9PVD0SLOM0WTN4GRhmjtfyfwLxi32Zmxotly1_mRe4/s1600/question-mark-2492009_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1600" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK0qCloZ-K536LaDQmDKmFFVx3c6_MdkvC9eqHiNu_USelRuPRHWTB8BQc8TkATeQVok9PG2ms_wwf-sPuHDVPokXIjPQJRzxCr9PVD0SLOM0WTN4GRhmjtfyfwLxi32Zmxotly1_mRe4/s320/question-mark-2492009_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a>The strongest openings always make a reader question. Let's take Ray Bradbury's novel "Fahrenheit 451". Its first line is: <i>It was a pleasure to burn. </i>Immediately as a reader, I'm asking myself what is a pleasure to burn? Why is it? Wait, is the narrator the one burning? And bam! I'm down the rabbit hole. With such a simple line, he's captured my attention in so many ways.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Tyk9cKRgzW7agLQKDIZxplfn2QwokERs5j8AQbX_oQCE24POLXv2juut1nqr-bNl45cJLggVnGuIxeaQG66u0hwmo3Id6OhsEmjC3EpZsxmQkBRom6ZF_ehftcVQ3egrQQaPFxcsdWk/s1600/universe-2742113_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="754" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Tyk9cKRgzW7agLQKDIZxplfn2QwokERs5j8AQbX_oQCE24POLXv2juut1nqr-bNl45cJLggVnGuIxeaQG66u0hwmo3Id6OhsEmjC3EpZsxmQkBRom6ZF_ehftcVQ3egrQQaPFxcsdWk/s640/universe-2742113_1920.jpg" width="640" /></a><b style="font-size: x-large; text-indent: 0.5in;">It can give us universal concept</b></div>
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</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">In Leo Tolstoy's classic "Anna Karenina", we are given this concept: </span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.</i></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><i> </i></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Not only are you given something to chew on, the line sets the tone for the novel to come. Be careful! Make sure that the plot supports the concept. This would not have been such a great line if Anna had been happily married in the book.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlTjEBf_awbz6yUdo35SY0x1LDjO5Ln7swCOp3adP4cYz7Nqmw9oKaOuBkbYiNFijwnU9QWQVVPD_7ArvImmZQqyqu4kRZNRPc1cNL2uDnqhrmLdr0SOQ-1YTjE7tohXeH90hqMb2wJI/s1600/refreshment-438399_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlTjEBf_awbz6yUdo35SY0x1LDjO5Ln7swCOp3adP4cYz7Nqmw9oKaOuBkbYiNFijwnU9QWQVVPD_7ArvImmZQqyqu4kRZNRPc1cNL2uDnqhrmLdr0SOQ-1YTjE7tohXeH90hqMb2wJI/s320/refreshment-438399_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Be surprising!</b></span></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">In J D Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye", we are treated to: </span><i>If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. </i>Why is this line so great? It introduces us to the voice of the narrator in style. We are surprised by the narrator's candor when telling us he doesn't really want to go into it.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMSmQKgbQlUUAEiU4kuMz04XPpwAQdkGy9SS9mFM2Q3f_8e5qh4MNwhL1W4Ke3JuQeolTABjSI9hmYypIBfxyjSkMXEr0xFJy0SH6egtGtcXRkWFhdEr7pmlvGn_VTqhnQJSRs-K7V90/s1600/buckled-book-2180047_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMSmQKgbQlUUAEiU4kuMz04XPpwAQdkGy9SS9mFM2Q3f_8e5qh4MNwhL1W4Ke3JuQeolTABjSI9hmYypIBfxyjSkMXEr0xFJy0SH6egtGtcXRkWFhdEr7pmlvGn_VTqhnQJSRs-K7V90/s320/buckled-book-2180047_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Start it by being meta!</b></span></div>
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<i>You don’t know about me, without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but that ain’t no matter. </i>In this, we are treated by the main character talking about a book he was in! Woah! Makes his character kind of jump off the page, doesn't it?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60mrfPwK-Hq4O462Otdg40YtQhBwzndd8wsSiaAcD7o4KZHhB4WY6joUPvh-HFTGoUomhcvlE8r29nWLcy4PH7FskuGeSLJGwMPBK7LPUGqdB3rOwKdDNJBrXyMpGrfHvdDRlM8VDCkg/s1600/comedian-2152801_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60mrfPwK-Hq4O462Otdg40YtQhBwzndd8wsSiaAcD7o4KZHhB4WY6joUPvh-HFTGoUomhcvlE8r29nWLcy4PH7FskuGeSLJGwMPBK7LPUGqdB3rOwKdDNJBrXyMpGrfHvdDRlM8VDCkg/s320/comedian-2152801_1920.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Hook 'em with a joke!</b></span></div>
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<i>I don’t know how other men feel about their wives walking out on them, but I helped mine pack.</i> That is the opening line from "Breaking Up" by Bill Manville. It is irreverent. It pokes fun about a sensitive subject. Most of all, it stays on task. We laugh and we get the tone the narrator is going to take the story.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Hh0aEcpQWeLI9UcsNkZSAb5AuuAhufZr7_80lK7GhzTSDWULJd6n9Wn7Z2y5pSjUWnSDMiN4jfWSRCJhs6U7T-2aSTDchzyQq2Oniq8pocajXjEgvot3pjozGaSjF3BnQM7gUsqrTN4/s1600/steampunk-2565448_1920.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Hh0aEcpQWeLI9UcsNkZSAb5AuuAhufZr7_80lK7GhzTSDWULJd6n9Wn7Z2y5pSjUWnSDMiN4jfWSRCJhs6U7T-2aSTDchzyQq2Oniq8pocajXjEgvot3pjozGaSjF3BnQM7gUsqrTN4/s320/steampunk-2565448_1920.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Drop us right in the middle</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">This one is harder to show from an opening line. But you start it right in the middle of the story. The inciting incident is behind everything that is happening but we never cover it. Neil Gaimen's "American Gods" is a good example. The story starts with: </span><i>Shadow had done three years in prison. </i>
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So, hook them high, hook them hard! Get them into your story so that all those words you have after the first line aren't going to waste. There are certainly more ways to start a story than I've shown here but these are a few to get you started. Happy writing!</div>
Writers’ Loungehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162308364869452418noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797322801783023631.post-23428505221426437982017-11-06T16:24:00.000-08:002017-11-06T16:24:18.828-08:00Don't stand in your way: Don't let your inner struggle keep you from writing!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLet9p_MjwyGfR8WzQ8kWWoIVEN9bSGK9KqwYlFmFvFJ-LW3y80fD0jfGfXOEKaIj0GNQsHx8pi0j3IDredIwRrnl0jEjabtDdzsIC8Nbmp8uo2ThQGakH5eRhgXK3ATaGJPGj6Nw74tQ/s1600/face-937887_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLet9p_MjwyGfR8WzQ8kWWoIVEN9bSGK9KqwYlFmFvFJ-LW3y80fD0jfGfXOEKaIj0GNQsHx8pi0j3IDredIwRrnl0jEjabtDdzsIC8Nbmp8uo2ThQGakH5eRhgXK3ATaGJPGj6Nw74tQ/s640/face-937887_1920.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I give you permission to suck.</div>
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No, really. Quit staring at the blank screen and just start typing. Whatever will do, I'll wait.</div>
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Are you still staring at a blank screen? I'm going to go over a few reasons that you might be and some methods to jump these hurdles. We'll start by tackling an easy three: fear, perfectionism, and low self-esteem.</div>
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Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, "Only thing we have to fear is fear itself." He was a smart man. But to overcome your fear, first you have to identify your fear. You aren't scared? Are you sure? Have you revised a section of your work for the billionth time? That may be fear talking. Do you keep putting off that book in favor of other things? Like watching that TV show you've seen like 20 times? You might have fear on the line.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH9e5QUVW5_3-NyAKT9KpRaRBBqglGZGfS9Xfw9CT_h_Kj29KZYe6dJUKKGiuPKiVYKmc8vu76DyZGvhxTHs0q_4kUvWGeO0X1ZTHSzDdR6zcHwbWDs0zxaOJJSwOGvG99kXLAichpKD0/s1600/horror-2903751_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1045" data-original-width="1600" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH9e5QUVW5_3-NyAKT9KpRaRBBqglGZGfS9Xfw9CT_h_Kj29KZYe6dJUKKGiuPKiVYKmc8vu76DyZGvhxTHs0q_4kUvWGeO0X1ZTHSzDdR6zcHwbWDs0zxaOJJSwOGvG99kXLAichpKD0/s400/horror-2903751_1920.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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That
isn't enough to keep the vampire you call perfectionism at bay. You
gave yourself permission to suck but do you ever really listen to
yourself? To get this monkey off your back, you have to do more.
Being part of a writing community could be a huge help. People that
you can show your work to and ask if you are being too hard. Because
you are too close to it to accurately judge. The flaws you see are
glaring but are they really the crater-sized potholes that you are
envisioning? Probably not.</div>
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If
that one didn't kill you, this one certainly will. Publish it. Wait
there's more. Publish it...even when it isn't <i>perfect</i>.
Do you need to run and get a paper bag to breath in? Then you
definitely need to do this. If you are caused distress by the thought
of publishing something that you don't define as perfect, that is the
very reason you need to do it. You are poisoning your own well
because nothing will ever be perfect.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkpQ04-7blbW2G6uGwtrAdJd_fWq1YS23vdrhAM7R7ljAdELoeaFz857uGrNt8KsLkuSiD5s__WiC4NsRuW7eTuwB4p5Cacys9a2l-dZ0nBw_PSlidZyQznVJ6_DoRdY-hujqIhDmPKA/s1600/successful-2668386_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkpQ04-7blbW2G6uGwtrAdJd_fWq1YS23vdrhAM7R7ljAdELoeaFz857uGrNt8KsLkuSiD5s__WiC4NsRuW7eTuwB4p5Cacys9a2l-dZ0nBw_PSlidZyQznVJ6_DoRdY-hujqIhDmPKA/s320/successful-2668386_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a>The
final reason we will discuss today. Self-esteem. It is the rejection
before you get the rejection. It has more than likely derailed more
novels than any other reason out there. There is no easy fix for
this. If your self-esteem issues are externally caused, avoiding the
catalyst is an easy fix. Really, part of being a writer is
acknowledging your own self-worth and the worth of the words you
write. At some point, before committing words to a page, you must
have thought that they were worthy of being heard. Run with that.
Practice. Surround yourself with people that bring you up rather than
tear you down. Most of all, believe in them.</div>
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There
are many things outside of yourself that can stop you from writing.
Don't defeat yourself before you have a chance to succeed.</div>
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Writers’ Loungehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162308364869452418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797322801783023631.post-72018564431630804192017-10-30T13:52:00.000-07:002017-10-30T13:52:03.691-07:00Giving a good critique<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj46URTmcaI0KpHlmQfAeiCId8_kWr1pVFmRMAMoTTzsrOP8601nZoAIDrD0FlfDFCD6FXV03sWDEaIWeqXGRX_N3MTtYSMTOTuY-Dq71JGnldV8iUx_CguZsYqqI_0vaaQHrYGfviSuLU/s1600/people-2589168_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="965" data-original-width="1600" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj46URTmcaI0KpHlmQfAeiCId8_kWr1pVFmRMAMoTTzsrOP8601nZoAIDrD0FlfDFCD6FXV03sWDEaIWeqXGRX_N3MTtYSMTOTuY-Dq71JGnldV8iUx_CguZsYqqI_0vaaQHrYGfviSuLU/s640/people-2589168_1920.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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What is a critique?</div>
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It is a detailed analysis of another's story. Basically, you are giving a person advice on the story they are writing. Unless you are an editor, this should be minus grammar. You are helping them improve the quality of their story, not their syntax.</div>
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There are good reasons and bad reasons to want to offer criticism to others. Let's look at some:</div>
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<li><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<b>To help others improve -</b> Sometimes you are the kind of nice guy or gal that just wants to see others reach their goals. Kudos to you!</div>
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<b>To see things change for the better -</b> At times, we just want to lead a writer to a way that is more appealing to ourselves. Maybe it is selfish but it isn't hurtful unless you get angry when your suggestions are refused.</div>
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<li><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<b>To make someone think - </b>You want the author to stop and take a moment to examine what is going on behind his piece. Maybe the motives of a character are suspect. Maybe the story may or may not support the way someone is acting. You want the writer to stop and take a deeper look.</div>
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<b>To hurt someone - </b>Now we are getting into the bad reasons! If this is the reason you're critiquing someone's story, I have one thing to say: STOP!</div>
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<b>As an outlet for our frustrations - </b>A pot on the stove has to vent. So do we. Critiquing isn't a thing you should do to vent. You can hurt an otherwise good story with your suggestions.</div>
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<b>Inflation of ones ego - </b>You just like to hear yourself talk. Many writers, myself included at times, fall into this trap. </div>
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</ul>
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Why is it important to know why you are critiquing? The reason you are critiquing will, more often than not, determine the value of your suggestions. The best critiquer with the worst reasons will end up giving the writer bad advice.</div>
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So, how do you critique? Well, there are a few things that you should do:</div>
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<ul>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Inform the writer whether this is your preferred genre - </b>Seems crazy right? But knowing that you are giving a critique on a story outside of your preferred genre can give the writer perspective on your comments.</div>
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</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<b>Be a reader, not a writer - </b>When giving a critique, be a reader and not a writer. Sometimes it is hard to take the writer's hat off, but if you are going to give a good critique that is something you can't be wearing. Write impressions of the story as you read.</div>
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</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<b>Offer suggestions - </b>Don't only say something "sounds off". Offer a suggestion that would read better in your opinion.</div>
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</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Praise - </b>I am guilty of not doing this. Critiques are hard to take and, if you are focusing solely on the negative, it can be a bitter pill to swallow. It won't hurt to throw in a few, "This was a really good line/par/scene." Just be sincere.</div>
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</li>
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<b>Read the story carefully - </b>Don't just give it a sloppy skim. Everyone knows what this means.</div>
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</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Honesty really is the best policy - </b>You are helping no one if you lie. I know many out there shy away from confrontation, but the purpose of a critique is to improve the story, so you are not helping if you gloss over the bad bits. Buckle down. Writers will survive some criticism. </div>
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</li>
</ul>
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And some things to avoid when critiquing:</div>
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<ul>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Directing your remarks towards the author - </b>This is all about the story and not the author, keep it that way.</div>
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</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Reading other critiques before you've critiqued - </b>You will be influenced subtly by what other people have said. Something that wouldn't have bothered you could be a glaring issue after you read someone else's critique.</div>
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</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Avoid changing the author's voice - </b>We all have our own voices. Don't try to change the author's voice to match yours. Maybe you would have made a different decision. That's your voice. Know the difference between giving suggestions that will improve the story, and being the Borg and trying to assimilate the story into your collective.</div>
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</li>
</ul>
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Now let's focus on the six parts of the story you should be looking at: Opening, Conflict, Characters, Plot, Setting, and Dialogue. Here are some questions you should ask yourself when giving a critique:</div>
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<b>Opening: </b>Did it leave you wanting to know more? Did it properly introduce the story's theme? Does the opening introduce you to the narrator's voice?</div>
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<b>Conflict (Not action): </b>What is/are the conflict(s) in the story? Is/are the conflict(s) resolved? Does the narrative do a good job bringing the conflict(s) to the fore? Is there enough conflict or too much?</div>
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<b>Characters: </b>Did the characters seem real? Or were they one dimensional? Did you get a sense that they had a backstory with family, friends, etc? Was there too much background info? Did the MC grow during the events of the story in some way? Did the motivations of the antagonist seem believable? Did they feel real in the same way as the protagonist, or were they a cardboard cut-out?</div>
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<b>Plot: </b>What is the plot of the story? Did the main character have a clearly defined problem? Did he resolve the problem? Were there scenes that didn't further the plot? Were there too many subplots? Did these get resolved? Did the story move along at a good pace? Did the story begin and end at the proper places in the plot?</div>
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<b>Setting: </b>Did you get a good sense of setting from the narrative and dialogue? Could you tell time and locale? If the setting was non-existant, did this hurt the story?</div>
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<b>Dialogue: </b>Is the dialogue believable? Is it dry? Are there too many repeated 'he said/she said'? Is the person using contractions? Does each character have a way of speaking or did they all mold to one voice? Did they dialogue give you a sense of conflict, attitude, and the intentions of the characters speaking? Was there enough dialogue in the story?</div>
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Next time you critique someone, I hope you use some of the tools provided here to produce a better critique. These are your fellow writers. I'm not going to say you owe them anything, but you should always consider critiquing them how you'd like to be critiqued.</div>
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Writers’ Loungehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162308364869452418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797322801783023631.post-89527345618939078122017-10-23T10:00:00.000-07:002017-10-23T10:00:05.260-07:00How do you ask a question? Dissecting the question.<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
How do you ask a question? Is it really that hard?</div>
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<i>If you’ve been in any writers’ groups, you know it is.</i></div>
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So, what happens? Where is the disconnect?</div>
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Personally, I think it comes from fear or the inability to properly define their question. If it is fear, it is because people don’t actually want the answer to their question. They are afraid of the answer. In response to that fear, they ask either the wrong question or a vague question. The other reason people ask vague questions is that they have an inability to properly define a question. Inability is a bad word. It is laziness. People ask vague questions the same reason they do incompetent Google searches. They can’t be bothered to take the time to do things correctly.</div>
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If you are asking bad questions out of fear, the first step to solving this is to recognizing your fear. Why are you afraid? Most writers’ fears stem from having their work criticized and mocked. Writers tend to treat the stories they write like their children. As well they should. These stories are our mind-babies. I’ll remind you of an old African proverb: It takes a village to raise a child. Don’t be an overprotective parent. Let your “child” experience the world! Asking questions and allowing people to critique your story is allowing other people to raise your “child”. Like any normal child, it will get its bumps and bruises. Like any normal parent, you have to let it happen and be there to bandage the wounds. Otherwise, your “child” will never grow and evolve.</div>
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The other reason I’m not going to waste a big paragraph on, I’m just going to sum it up in one sentence: Quit being lazy.</div>
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How do you properly ask for help? Here are a few easy things to make sure you are asking the right questions:</div>
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Know what you want to know - This seems like a simple piece of advice but many times people don’t know what they are wanting to know. Figure out your motivation for asking for help <i>before</i> asking for help. If you are finding difficulty with your dialogue, realize that! When I answer your plea for help and give you pointers on plot development and you dismiss my answer because you really want to know about dialogue, more than likely I won’t answer another question from you. You just wasted my time and yours. </div>
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Ask specific questions - Questions should be concise. Don’t ask questions like “How do I start writing?” or “How can I write erotica?”. Those questions are too broad and will never truly be answered. Instead of asking “How do I start writing?”, ask “I’m having trouble with my first line, I know the general story idea, which is <short story blurb> but how I should start it is alluding me. I don’t want you to write it for me but can I get some ideas to get the old creative juices flowing?”</div>
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Avoid asking “poll” type questions - “Poll” questions are questions that are completely subjective. You aren’t asking for tips and tricks, you are merely asking for people’s opinions. Not only are these questions bad and more than a little boring, they have a tendency to start fights as people express differing opinions. Many begin with the words “Can I…”. It doesn’t matter what the question is if it begins with the words “Can I…” then my answer is always the same, “If you want!”.</div>
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Be polite - Phrase your question (and any replies you make to people answering your question) politely. Avoid back-handed insults. “Well, I guess you people are as clueless as me, lol” That does not engender a need to answer your question within me.</div>
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To sum up, when you ask the right questions, you are more likely to get the correct type of responses to your query. Knowing what you are asking, being specific, being polite, and not taking polls will go a long way to people taking your questions seriously. If you don’t waste people’s times, they won’t waste your time in return.</div>
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G Dean Manuel is a writer/poet/blogger. If you wish to know more about him, go to his <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Deantheblogger/">Facebook page</a>. His newest story, "Dead Eyes Never Lie" on Amazon, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Eyes-Never-Shorts-Manuel-ebook/dp/B076MK8WNY">here</a>.</div>
Writers’ Loungehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162308364869452418noreply@blogger.com0