Archive for June, 2010

Seven Habits of Highly Effective Authors: Habit Six

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Hello again!

Only two more habits left to talk about. A quick review of numbers one through five first.

Highly Effective Authors…

1. 1. Write every day.

2. Understand the business side of publishing.

3. Learn how to take criticism.

4. Set goals and meet them.

5. Learn how to self edit their work.

And now, on to habit 6.

6. Highly Effective Authors read. A lot. And not only do they read a lot, but they read books both in their genre and outside.

Why is this habit so important?

A. Because authors who read tend to have a better handle on the market, and are therefore better able to find their niche. It’s extremely difficult for a writer to know what work is being published if they aren’t readers. And without that knowledge, it’s impossible for them to consider how they might fit into the market.

B. If you write category romance, it’s particularly important for you to read the lines and get a feel for each one. Lines change. Evolve. It’s virtually impossible to “get” them if you haven’t read several recent titles.

C. Writers gain inspiration from other authors’ work. Reading, among other activities, gets the creative juices flowing.

D. Writers learn about plotting and storytelling from published stories. I’m not suggesting a writer “steal” a plot from a published book. But what I am suggesting is that writers learn about plot arcs and storytelling from published books.

E. By exposing him/herself to other genres, an author can bring a fresh spin on a tired subgenre. Take a look at the huge number of genre-blending books that are being published today. Yes, editors need to be able to fit a book into their current lists, and so a book that completely breaks all rules and fits nowhere is likely to be rejected. But injecting a fresh spin inspired from an outside genre can (and has!) lead to a breakout novel for some authors.
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Now that I’ve listed all the reasons why it’s so important to continue reading when you’re writing, I’ll address the primary reason why writers (especially new ones) stop reading.

They can’t turn off the internal editor and enjoy a book the way they used to.

I’ve been writing professionally since 2001. I was published in 2004, under my other pseudonym. I’d say it was in the last year that I was finally able to sit down and read books in my genre and enjoy them, without the internal editor nitpicking them to pieces. It takes time to shut that obnoxious voice up. But that’s okay. You still need to read. Outside of writing, reading is the most important thing you can do to develop your craft.

So head to the library or the bookstore. Grab a book and settle in for some great reading. Don’t worry about the little voice in your head screaming about punctuation or adverbs. Just keep turning pages, absorbing the story.

Here are some questions to ask yourself as you read (and hopefully distract you from the little stuff):

1. What kind of character is the protagonist (hero and heroine in a romance novel)? Do you care about the character? Why or why not?

2. How does the author use conflict to keep the reader turning pages?

3. How does the plot progress? Do you see some kind of framework or structure?

4. (Romance) What scenes does the author use to develop the romance? And how are they balanced/blended with the external plot?

5. What sorts of tools does the author use to maintain the pace in the middle of the book?

6. How does the author tie up each thread of the story?

7. Is the ending satisfying? Why or why not?

8. If you had written this story, how might you have told it differently?

There you go, the sixth habit. The final habit seems like a no-brainer, but it’s not as obvious as you think.

Submission Call: springtime “Just Romance” anthology

Monday, June 28th, 2010

Forwarded with permission

Samhain is dialing down the heat and focusing on the romance for a Springtime “Just Romance” Anthology.

I’m excited to announce an open call for submissions for a new anthology for Spring 2011. The theme is Springtime, and in keeping with that theme, I’m looking for stories that focus on blossoming romance rather than full-blown sexual relationships, chemistry rather than combustion, the spark of attraction rather than the blaze of passion.
The stories can have closed-door sex scenes, glossed-over sex scenes, or characters who are waiting until after the book is over. There can be as much romantic and sexual tension as the book can handle, but no explicit language, and all stories must end with a happily ever after or happy for now.
I’m open to all sub-genres of romance, and all types of sexuality: m/f, m/m, f/f and combinations thereof.

The anthology will include novellas from 20,000 to 25,000 words in length and will be released individually as separate ebooks in May 2011 and will be combined as one print title for mid 2012 print release.

Submissions are open to all authors, published with Samhain or aspiring to be published with Samhain. All submissions must be new material—previously published submissions will not be considered. Additionally, manuscripts previously submitted, whether individually or for past anthologies, will not be considered either. Please be aware that manuscripts submitted to this anthology cannot be resubmitted at a later date unless by invitation from an editor. However, submissions with merit for possible publication at Samhain will be passed to interested Samhain editors even if not chosen for the Springtime Just Romance Anthology.
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To submit a manuscript for consideration please include:
The full manuscript (of 20,000 to 25,000 words) with a comprehensive 2-5 page synopsis. Please include a letter of introduction/query letter in the body of your email, and attach the manuscript and synopsis as two separate MS Word or rich text files. Full manuscripts are required for this as it’s a special project.

Also, when you send your files, please be sure to use the naming convention Springtime_Title and Springtime_Title_Synopsis.

Submissions are open until November 1st, 2010 and the final decisions will be made by November 30th, 2010. Please send your submission to editor@samhainpublishing.com and include Springtime Anthology in the subject line.

Questions can be addressed to Imogen Howson at imogen@samhainpublishing.com. Also, if you would like fuller details of the heat level we’re seeking for this anthology, please contact Imogen.

Please note, we are not accepting multiple submissions for this anthology. However, if you already have a manuscript under consideration as a general submission with Samhain and would also like to send in a submission to this anthology, please do so.

UF/PNR novels releasing July 7-13

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

The second week of July looks like a quiet one for fans of urban fantasy and paranormal romance fiction. I found quite a few releasing the first week and the last but not many in between 🙁

Releasing between July 7-13:

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Seven Habits of Highly Effective Authors: Habit Five

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

Wow! We’re at Habit 5 already! Let’s summarize quickly before we move on.

Highly Effective Authors…

1. Write every day.

2. Understand the business side of publishing.

3. Learn how to take criticism.

4. Set goals and meet them.

And now Number 5: Highly Effective Authors learn how to edit (there’s that four-letter word) their own work.

I don’t know if you realize this or not, but self-editing is harder than you think. For one thing, it means the author must realize that every word she’s bled and sweated onto those pages are not golden. No one’s work is perfect. And I’ve found that each writer has both his/her own unique set of strengths and weaknesses.

Sometimes it takes a while for you to learn what your personal strengths and weaknesses are. But take my word for it–If your book gets published but isn’t thoroughly edited, you’ll find out pretty quickly. Reviewers can be harsh critics.

So, if you don’t know what you should be looking for, how can you possibly fix it?

A few suggestions:

You could find a critique group or partner.

If you’re brand new to writing, I highly recommend you find yourself a critique group or partner. For a number of reasons. You’ll learn to take criticism. You’ll polish your craft by critiquing other people’s work. And you’ll take advantage of your partner’s strengths. Ideally their strengths will complement yours.

But I will warn you, not all critique groups/partners are created equal. You still need to have some idea of what kind of help you need before you pick a partner. Do you need help with grammar? Finding redundant words? Tightening writing? Finding your voice? Closing up Swiss-cheesy plots? You need to find a partner with skills in those areas.

You could use a reference book.

There are several nonfiction books out there about how to edit fiction. Most of them concentrate on basic grammar and the technical aspects of writing. So, if you don’t use verbs properly or write loose, twisty-turny sentences, you might get some help. If your weakness is inconsistencies in plotting, they may not do you a bit of good.

You could enter some writing contests to get anonymous feedback.

Contests are a whole ‘nother topic. In fact, I’ve done some blogging about them. Some authors fall into the habit of writing and polishing three chapters, entering hundreds of contests, and never finishing a book. There’s also the problem of conflicting (or downright useless) feedback. At least in RWA chapter-sponsored contests, the judges are often unpublished writers. And these people can get *really* hung up on nitpicky things while missing more important issues (like the fact that the heroine is totally TSTL and should never leap into an erupting volcano). However, if you hear the same thing from every judge who reads your chapter, you can assume there’s a problem.

Conversely, you could volunteer to judge a writing contest.

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* * * * *

Here are a few suggestions on how to read your work with a more critical eye:

1. Let the book sit for a few weeks and start working on something else. Then go back and read it, cover-to-cover in a single day. Look for dropped threads in your plot.

2. Read it again. This time look for inconsistencies. Is your heroine wearing a blue top in the beginning of a chapter and a red one later? Do your characters undress twice in a scene?

3. Read the book backward, last chapter first, and so on, looking for inconsistencies, dropped threads and holes in your plot.

4. Read it (beginning to end) again, concentrating just on dialogue. Do your characters each have a unique voice? Does the dialogue serve a purpose? Are you using action beats to break up long-winded soliloquies and attribute the dialogue to your characters (versus “he said/she said”/dialogue tags after every line)?

5. Now, read the scenes in each character’s pov’s, skipping the ones in the others’. Make sure each character’s journey is consistent and complete.

6. Read it again, slowly, this time looking for smaller issues, long blocks of narrative (telling), POV abuse, unclear sentences, loose writing, repetitive sentence structure (always starting with “he” or “she” for example) and misused words (who’s/whose, they’re/their/there, it’s/its).

7. Finally, use Word’s Find and Replace feature to highlight weasel words (as, there, then, etc), -ing verbs, adverbs (-ly), and forms of To Be to see what kind of concentration you have of them in your book. Rewrite sentences if you can without making them clunky and awkward (I once went too far with this, and ended up with a huge mess. Some “was’s” are necessary).

I hope these suggestions help! Editing can be painful, but it’s a necessary evil. And the results are definitely worth it.

For more information on editing:

Self Editing by Lori Handeland http://www.eclectics.com/articles/selfediting.html

Self Editing Checklist
http://home.earthlink.net/~jdc24/selfEdit.htm

Elements of Style
http://www.amazon.com/Elements-Style-Fourth-William-Strunk

Self Editing for Fiction Writers
http://www.amazon.com/Self-Editing-Fiction-Writers-Renni-Browne

10 Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance novels releasing July 1-6th, 2010

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

July 1-July 6

Blood Law: A Novel (Jeannie Holmes)

Unholy Magic (Stacia Kane)

Chains of Ice (Christina Dodd)

In Other Worlds (Sherrilyn Kenyon)

Undead and Unfinished (MaryJanice Davidson)

Demon Blood (Meljean Brook)
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Bonds of Justice (Nalini Singh)

Cupid Cats (Katie MacAlister)

My Way to Hell (Dakota Cassidy)

Zombie Moon (Lori Devoti)

Q&A with editor Angela James

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

For those who don’t recognize the name, Angela James is the Executive Editor at Carina Press, Harlequin’s new digital romance imprint. She is taking questions on the eharlequin forum.

Click HERE to follow the thread.

Click HERE for Carina Press’ submission guidelines.
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Click HERE for Carina Press FAQ’s.

Q&A with Editor Wanda Ottewell

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

The Ruby Slippered Sisterhood (a group of 2009 Golden Heart finalists) is hosting a Q&A with Harlequin editor Wanda Ottewell.

The Deets:

From today until Tuesday, June 15th, the Ruby Sisters will be asking you to submit questions for our Q & A with Harlequin Superromance Senior Editor Wanda Ottewell which will take place on Monday, June 21st. So here’s your chance to ask an editor all those questions you’ve been bottling up forever. And this is not just about category, this is about craft, industry, heck, ask her about Canada! She’s knowledgeble, friendly and has been in the business for a while. So….jump in and give her your questions.

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Seven Habits of Highly Effective Authors: Habit Four

Monday, June 14th, 2010

Hello again! I hope you’re enjoying this series. Please, if you have questions or comments, don’t be afraid to post them.

Ready to move on to habit number 4?

Highly Effective Authors set realistic goals and know how to reach them.

When I was just starting out, I was clueless about publishing. I’m not ashamed of that fact. I think I’m in the majority, at least that’s my opinion, based on the comments I’ve heard from new writers. How many times have I heard, “If they’ll publish this crap, anyone can get published.” Or “This is garbage. I should write a book. At least mine’ll be great.” I’m not saying I thought the published books I read were crap. Quite the opposite. But I did think that it would be fairly easy to get a book published. After all, everyone who’d read everything I’d written loooooved it, including my high school creative writing teacher (Hey, don’t laugh. Those nuns were tough!)

I was going to be an overnight success.

Heh. Righttttt.

So, my first goal (selling to a major house in one year and making the NY Times list) wasn’t exactly realistic. Anyone want to tell me what’s wrong with that goal, besides the fact that it was close to impossible to achieve?

Going back to day two, Highly Effective Authors know the business side of publishing. They realize the submission process usually involves months and months of waiting. And because of their knowledge, they are able to set themselves up with daily, weekly, monthly and annual goals that are both achievable, aggressive…but most importantly, under their personal control (and yes, this is what was wrong with that first goal).

Highly Effective Authors treat their writing career as a business. As entrepreneurs, they appreciate the need for long and short term goals, realizing those small, well-planned steps will lead them in the right direction a lot more quickly than huge leaps this way and that. And they also understand the smaller successes make it easier to weather the rejection storm that’s very likely coming their way.

Highly Effective Authors also possess a certain single-minded determination to reach those goals, no matter what hellish situation real life throws their way. Not that I’m saying anyone should neglect their kids, their sick grandma, or their day jobs–but it’s true. The ones that really want it bad, seem to somehow juggle a lot of obligations.

Okay, so now that we’ve covered the general gist of today’s habit, how does one apply it to him/herself?
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A. Begin by sitting down and thinking realistically about what aspects of your writing career you can control. Helpful hint: response times to submissions and acceptance/rejections are outside of your control. Bribery doesn’t work.

B. Decide where you want to be by next year at this time (For instance, “I’ll have three books completed and submitted to ten editors/agents by the start of September” or “I’ll have one book completed and submitted to my A-list agents by December”). Be as specific as possible.

C. Determine what steps you need to reach that goal. (Three books equals 1200 pages. That’s 100 pages a month, plus time for editing/polishing. First book edited by December and submitted to the first five editors by January 1.).

D. Break down those steps into manageable daily goals, taking into account some down time–days you won’t be writing, like holidays, weekends, whatever. (30 pages written per week, six days a week, five pages a day)

E. (This one’s the most important) Make the commitment to meeting those goals every day.

F. Finally, celebrate every time you meet those goals. Did you meet your daily page count? Have some chocolate. Or enjoy some time playing on the Divas. Did you finish a book? Treat yourself to a pedicure or a dinner out with someone special. Select whatever rewards that’ll keep you going when the temptation to let a goal slip hits you. Believe me, it will.

Do you want to be published so bad it burns in your gut? If so, you’re half way there. Set those goals and work, work, work.

See you next time. I’ll give you a little hint of what’s next. Habit 5’s a four-letter word.

Unique book promotion idea.

Friday, June 11th, 2010

While reading one of my fave blogs, I stumbled upon a link to This Article on www.nypost.com. An author named Jennifer Belle hired 40 actresses to sit in public places (within NYC)  and laugh out loud while reading her book. It’s a very creative idea, and in at least one respect brilliant because it’s getting her some additional press.

One of the biggest challenges an author faces is getting word of her book out to the public. According to UNESCO, there were between 150,000 and 200,000 new titles published in 2005, in the US alone (I haven’t been able to locate more recent numbers). I’ve read the average fiction novel sells anywhere between 5,000 and 11,000 copies (this number, I’m guessing takes into account returns). With over 100,000 books published every year, it’s not newsworthy to have your novel published, at least according to television, radio and newspapers.

I believe, as book publishers struggle to find their footing in this volatile market, promotion budgets will be slashed and authors will be forced to take on the burden of marketing his/her books.  In most cases, this has already happened. More and more, authors are going to have to come up with unique and fresh ideas to promote their work. It’s not enough to write a great book anymore. And then another. And another. Those great books could very well end up being recycled to print another author’s great book.

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FREE Writing Workshop: Tension by Kris Kennedy

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

I’ve been reading this month’s free workshop, hosted on Romance Divas, Tension by historical romance author Kris Kennedy. Great stuff!

Her intro:

I am so excited to talk about tension, because I think it’s at the heart of page-turning, bestselling, gripping stories that we can’t set down. We won’t be able to talk about all the different aspects that will affect tension in our week together,, but we’ll talk about three of the awesome basics, that can really get you started.

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2) Irrevocability
3) I Mean, Really, What’s The Worst That Can Happen?

Read the entire workshop free on www.romancedivas.com. You must register for the forums, but there is no cost to join. Enjoy!