Susan Stuckey: Tuesday Two Cents' Worth

Welcome to Tuesday 2 Cents' Worth, where authors and writers answer one question: If you could share one piece of writing advice with other writers, what would it be?

      I'm pleased to introduce you to the very talented Susan Stuckey who will be generously sharing her two cents today. 

      Take the stage, Susan!

Teresa asked me if I’d be interested in writing a post answering the question “If there is one piece of writing advice you could share with other writers, what would it be?” I said yes, because Teresa is such a sweetheart--who could say no?

One minute (actually is was more like a couple of seconds) after I hit send on my acceptance, panic set in. Who was I to give writing advice to anyone? What could I say but reiterate one of the same memes as everyone else? Read! Write every day!, etc.

Then I realized that the answer could be found in two of the disciplines I studied in college: sociology and psychology. I considered our age of “internet interaction” filled with the flame wars, bullying, and negativity. I realized that my advice would not directly be about writing, but something related.

I went back to one of my favorite poems -- specifically the last two lines of this verse:

"The ill-timed truth we might have kept--

Who knows how sharp it pierced and stung?

The word we had not sense to say--

Who knows how grandly it had rung!”

[from The Fools Prayer by Edward Roland Sill]

     My advice is to have sense, and say those truthful words that “grandly ring” to everyone but especially fellow writers. Offer other writers help and support. Helping someone else promote their publication does not diminish your possibilities of sales, it increases them.

     Perhaps you don’t believe you can promote their book to your fans because you write YA or MG and theirs is erotica or adult horror or ??? There are other ways to say the word that rings grandly. Buy their book. Leave a review. Attend their Facebook party. Congratulate them on publication for a job well done.    There are untold ways to show the “kind heart” and give support.

     And when someone supports you, either verbally or by action, THANK THEM!

     Small kindnesses make large waves.

*****

BIO: Currently (mostly) retired, but 'back in the day' Susan was a meek, mild-mannered, self-effacing accountant/auditor but after 5:00 her imagination broke free. She either played with historical stories, or in the magical World of Aldura she created.

Besides playing in fantasy worlds and/or historical times, Susan dabbles in various hobbies, loves to try new recipes, and is the servant of multiple fur-children (both feline and canine).

LINKS:

Website/blog: http://susan-stuckey.storytellersinn.com

Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Susan-Stuckey-Author/405863746200970?ref=hl

Twitter handle: @SusanStuckey3

Amazon US Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Susan-Stuckey/e/B00F961U04/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1392130321&sr=8-1

Connie J. Jasperson: Tuesday Two Cents' Worth

     Welcome to Tuesday 2 Cents' Worth, where authors and writers answer one question: If you could share one piece of writing advice with other writers, what would it be?

      I'm pleased to introduce you to the talented Connie J. Jasperson who has kindly agreed to share her two cents today.


      Take it away, Connie!

     "The Buddha once said, “We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.”  I believe this to be true, and try to live my life accordingly. I am a basically happy person.

     And this is how I approach writing. It's only human nature to want to make the world to fit your idea of what is good and beautiful.

     In my favorite books, good people always find themselves in bad situations, but through the drama, heartache and violence, the great authors managed to express the beauty of life, the emotions that are experienced when joys are contrasted against sorrows.

     If you have never felt hunger, you can never understand what it is to have plenty. In the same context, if you have never known sorrow, how can you know joy? The contrasts of life are the flavors, the textures that give it meaning.

     I would advise an author to be true to the human condition in writing, whether you write historical fiction, Sci-fi, or fantasy. Understanding humanity and the realities of both extreme poverty and an overabundance of plenty give your work a sense of solidness, and without that feeling of truth the story will never hold water.  Draw from history, mash it up into alternate realities all you want, but don't turn away from the ugly truth—because in any story, small instances of kindness are all the more precious when viewed in juxtaposition to brutality.

     Never forget that there is as much beauty to draw from as there is pain, for it is that contrast that makes an intense story compelling.

     No work of fiction will ever be more horrific or glorious than the true history of our humanity and inhumanity. We authors will only scratch the surface, and if that small scratch makes an impact on a reader, we have done our job."

HUW THE BARD, by Connie J. Jasperson, published March 28, 2014

(new release)(mature readers)

Genre: fantasy, alternate history

Synopsis:

Smuggled out of the burning city in a reeking ale barrel, Huw the Bard is a wanted man. Starving, reduced to begging and worse, he must somehow make his way north to safety. It’s a 200-league walk to the one place he might have a friend, though the path Huw must take is anything but straight.

A lot can happen to a man on journey like that.

>>><<< 

Amazon Buy Links:

http://bit.ly/HuwTheBard_US

http://bit.ly/HuwTheBard_UK

http://bit.ly/HuwTheBard_AU

 

Connie can be found at: 

 

cjjasperson.editing@gmail.com

www.myrddinpublishing.com

Life in the Realm of Fantasy https://conniejjasperson.wordpress.com/

https://www.facebook.com/cjjasperson

 https://twitter.com/cjjasp

 

A to Z F is for Form

Form... as in good form, bad form.

Self-publishing has opened a lot of opportunities for writers, along with creating a tough challenge. Back in the day, when the big six called the shots in the publishing world, there was a biggie they took care of--book promotion. And that is one thing that all self-pubbed authors now must do for themselves.

That involves building a platform. A "launch platform". A social media presence. Recognition. Networking. The best platforms are in place before a book is launched. And that seems to make sense. But, even if you're starting to build late, there' still time.

There are a lot of ways to promote a book: a blog, facebook, and twitter to name just a few. But your own platform isn't enough. You need help. And since we don't have big promotion budgets, we need help from friends.There's more to the puzzle, though. Familiarity and recognition alone aren't enough to sell books. Ask yourself, why do you buy a book? Reviews? Word of mouth recommendations? Lots of people talking it up?

Face it. Most of us aren't in the big leagues. So we rely on others to get the word around that our books are good.

To be effective, you should build your platform with some things in mind. It takes repeated viewings of your name, the title of your book, what you write,  before it becomes recognizable, even familiar to those viewing it. One way of getting your name out there is via multiple sites. Another is to have a network of supporters who will share facebook posts, retweet your news--and write tweets of their own promoting your book, do blog posts about you, blog tours, interviews, reviews...etc.

Here is where we come into good form/bad form. And this can be relative to any aspect of anything we do. But for this post, it's about trying to get your book noticed.  In my opinion (which means that you might find no value at all in this) good form goes a long way toward good will and being received well. Acknowledge others. Yes, when someone tweets you, comments on your blog or your facebook wall, reply. Simple, huh? But I see it everyday. The rockstar behavior. Don't do it. It's a turn off. Oh, there's so much more...

Be genuine in your interactions. It's time consuming, but people see past phony. Besides, being genuine makes worthwhile your time spent on platform building. Don't be a complainer or a whiner. Viewers will *click* and you're gone. Don't mess politics with your author pages and accounts. Serious. You're not Hollywood, and will likely turn off way more people than you'll ever sway to your political bent.

Always try to reciprocate a good deed. I can't stress this enough. Use lists on Twitter so you can initiate good deeds with the people who routinely shout out your writing prowess. Offer to read and review for others.

Never, never, never friend someone on goodreads, within a day message them to ask them to review your book, and include the link to the book's Amazon page where they can BUY your book so they can review it. Ha! You ask, why would she include that? :/ Yep. Someone did. I won't name names. But he lost all kinds of credibility with me when he did that. If you are asing for a review, provide a copy.

It's nice to support fellow writers, too. I buy books all the time to read and review. And authors rarely fail to thank me once they notice the review.

And while we're on that train of thought, I'll add, it was a good example of the reason to have a platform and a network of genuine followers/friends online. Sometimes you have to get the tweet out there to let your online friends know what you need help with, But if you have to keep calling attention to your book all by yourself, it's kind of like "Hey!! Look at this! Look at what I wrote! It's good because I think it's good Buy it here! Only .99!"  It's helps when another person says, "I really liked name of book. The author can really pen a fast-paced tale! Five stars!"  See what I mean?

One last thing. The master of platform building on Twitter, Claude Bouchard is the best example I can think of of how well this works.  He has amassed 472,000 twitter followers. And he does use Twitter to promote his books. The thing about Claude that is striking is that he responds to individuals who tweet him and friend request him on facebook. A post about how he grew his followers is here--Coming Clean About my Twitter Success  Being nice has paid off for Claude Bouchard.

Most of it comes to down to what your mama taught you. Use manners. Be kind. Watch talking about religion and politics. And keep plugging away at that building your platform.

Visit other April Blogging from A to Z Challenge by clicking here. 

A to Z: E is for editing

From a writer's POV. Editing--a hot topic since the advent of self-publishing. First, I think doing whatever it takes to keep from publishing a book with glaring mistakes is of the utmost importance. Your name on that book will be associated with everything about it--from the cover... to the ending. If you put something substandard out there, the reviews will reflect it. You don't want to start out a writing career being associated with a bad book.

That having been said, it's fair to say that not everyone can afford a professional editor. So, can you edit your book yourself? Well, it' not advisable. For the most part, it's nearly impossible to do.

By the time you've written your book, you've likely reread it multiple times. That causes a problem. Your brain will read the words that aren't there--if you've missed putting in a word. You're brain will not register incorrect or clunky syntax.  Missed punctuation marks, or the dreaded free-ranging comma will get right by. Your brain will see what you want it to see. You have essentially become blind to your own writing. It's not uncommon, and it's very real.

In lieu of an editor, at the very least, you should sign on with a crit partner, or a site that is basically a crit exchange. You crit the work of others and they in turn will crit yours. One I've read great things about is Scribophile

Whether you choose to hire an editor or not, there are some things you can do to help get over your blindness to your own work.

The best approach is to try to trick your brain out of stasis and preconcieved ideas of what's written in your story. One way to do this, and I've found it to work amazingly well, is to read your work out loud. You don't have to read it to anyone else, but you do need to speak the words. It gets a different part of the brain involved. Mistakes will jump out at you.

Another good way to trip up the brain is to change appearance of your manuscript. If it's in a doc. file, do a save as PDF or vice-versa. Or, change the font. Change it to bold, enlarge it, or highlight it.

Another time-proven way is to set the manuscript down and leave it alone for a couple of weeks. A couple of months is even better if you can stay away from it that long. It allows the brain time to forget what it thinks is there, word for word. You'll see it with new eyes.

Work on it in small sections. Join a group like (shameless plug here) Weekend Writing Warriorswhere you share 8 sentences at a time. It helps to teach you to be critical of writing--your own and that of others writers. There's a lot of help out there for free. And in the process of reaching out, you'll discover an amazing online writing community willing to generously help others. Weekly sign ups. Free. No long term commitments.

Visit other April Blogging from A to Z Challenge by clicking here.

Writing: The Pep-talk

Walking down the trail today, I was absorbed in the world. The creek gurgled next to the trail.  Blue Jays scolded, and squirrels complained at my approach.

 

There's a smell in the air on such days in Western Pennsylvania.  It's sweet and musky, and it makes me think of patchouli, never failing to take me back in time.  I'm made acutely aware of just how many autumns have stacked up behind me.

 

The fine, damp, packed gravel was not so hard packed under my feet.  I left little tracks where it lifted--flung from the soles of my shoes with each step  I took.  The sky was gray--not steel gray, but full of dimensions and features.

 

Beside me, a stream ran very low.  There's been little rainfall for months... and the world is glowing golden yellow.  I stop to watch the stream. 

 

Like so many people, I lose myself in my thoughts, around water.  

 

It was the summer of 1987. We took the boat downriver to a place I'd never been.  Everyone around the docks had, but I was a relative newcomer  at the river.  I was a small stream kind of girl :-) but the river was growing on me--somehow getting into my soul.  And I suspected that, at times, it coursed through my veins.

 

We pulled in close to the shoreline and dropped anchor.  There it was-- the rope swing.

 

I jumped out of the boat and swam for shore, taking in the scene before me. I was hesitant... it looked dangerous. There were huge rocks, limestone, the size of small cars. The railroad had dumped them there to fortify the riverbank.

 

There was a crowd on the bank, climbing up over the rocks...and more waiting to climb the rocks...all in line for that one rope.  

 

I watched a teenage boy stand on top of the tallest rock and then push off.  He yelled as he let go, swinging like a pendulum out over the water. 

 

His body was briefly suspended in mid-air, just before plummeting toward the river. There was a splash, followed by silent seconds hanging in time before he surfaced, mouth wide open with laughter. Hoots and hollers followed.  

 

Just as soon as he'd cleared the ultimate landing zone in the water, there was another person, the pendulum swung... and then plummeting, splashing and laughing.

 

My heart was in my throat. Such a cautious soul, I didn't know if I had it in me...I weighed the risks. Well, if my hands slipped on the rope, I'd fall onto the rocks.  If I got too scared to let go of the rope and tried to swing back, I'd crash into the rocks...

 

I could get really hurt.

 

Or I could just sit out there on the river bank, high and dry, and watch them laughing and having the time of their lives.

 

 

I was drawn from my thoughts back to the trail. It's not crowded today, but I do see two people approaching me.  Bright clothing seems to shine as they draw near on their bikes, a blur of high speed peddling.

 

The two young men smile as they pass me...they are enjoying their day, no-doubt. I think...don't we all want to do more than just exist?  More than just live until we die? Don't we all have something to do that evokes a passion in each of us?

 

I continue south on the trail... my steady footfalls have lulled me back into my thoughts...

 

On the riverbank, I watched, with heart pounding each time I thought I might actually do it.  I took a step, summoning the moxie to move toward the rope, and wordlessly announced my turn in line.  Time was flying.  Before I could even chicken out, I was holding the rope in my hand. :-)

 

I heard hoots coming from the boat now.  I took as many steps backward as I could, trying to gain the most height at the end of my outward swing... and then I jumped, grabbed, and curled up my legs to clear the rocks.  There wasn't time to be afraid.  The rush washed over me as I reached the end.  It was almost instinctive; I let go. I felt that split second when I wasn't going up, nor going down.  The butterflies in my stomach fluttered, and then I headed toward the water.

 

For a split second, I saw it, my reflection on the water's surface.  I shut my eyes.  The shadow of a soul approaching... and then I cannon-balled down into the murky Allegheny River.  I bobbed to the surface, full of laughter and exhilaration, and swam to shore...   Then I climbed back up the rocks to wait in line...

 

Life is a lot like that...letting go of the rope... and just falling... a shadow on the water's surface...

 

Another bicyclist zoomed past me, bright yellow, techie looking clothing.  Other than the three cyclists, I've been alone with my thoughts for this walk. 

 

I glanced at the stream, watching a yellow leaf drift lazily down, a brief moment of reflection, then land on the water. I turned back north; time to head home.

 

Life is short, and the days grow even shorter. The years go by.  And if we aren't careful, they take so many of the best chances with them. 

 

Writing is a lot like that, too.  You can stand on the riverbank your whole life, watching everyone else let go.

 

Best thing I can think is to grab that figurative rope and jump, tuck legs, and swing.  And when the time is right... we'll know...and let go of the rope! :-)