Writers Websites Wednesday - Editio

If you're diving into the world of digital publishing - you know, kindle, Smashwords, iBooks and the like, then Editio can probably offer you some help.  

Its focus is on self publishing and it offers resources and instructional articles.  Since I've been published by Doubleday and Harlequin and others AND am handling some of my own self publishing by re-releasing some of my former hard copy books in digital format it's given me some tips and hints I've been able to make use of including a list of blogs that will review a book (some will accept Ebooks, others only hard copy). 

Metaphoria - time to play

Metaphors, they're a great way to express ourselves.  Colorful, informative, sometimes amusing, they get a point across as nothing else can.  I highly recommend understanding them and using them in your writing, all your writing and by that I mean your book, your promotion, whatever you write. 

Now that doesn't mean you should go wild and stuff them into every sentence, regardless, but cultivating a grasp of their usage will give life to your writing as well as deeper meaning.

Did you know metaphors have been around one heck of a long time?  Even in the ancient Sumerian language.  And Aristotle described a metaphor as: “Metaphor is the application of a strange term either transferred from the genus and applied to the species or from the species and applied to the genus, or from one species to another or else by analogy.”

A simpler definition of metaphor is: A comparison made by referring to one thing as another.  Here are a couple of examples:

"No man is an island" —John Donne

'Forever since that time you went away I've been a rabbit burrowed in the wood" —Maurice Sceve

Life is a beach.

Time is a thief.

"He is a pig. Thou art sunshine." - unknown

Barack Obama captains the ship of state.

Life is a journey, a dance, a dream.

Metaphors are pervasive in every day life so why not put them into your writing - and learn to do it well?
Here are some helps. 

1.  Check out The Metaphor Observatory click the links and see how it's done.

2.  Consider starting your own metaphor list and keep it handy so you can add to it easily.  When you hear a good one in public or at work or at a family gathering, write it down. Use metaphors you hear from others as springboards for your own.

3.  Pay attention when you read magazines or books or newspapers. Notice the metaphors.

4.  Play with metaphors. Think about them and all the different twists and turns they can take.  For example, your own writing.  Writing is.....(what?) a roller coaster ride? as painful as slamming your finger with a hammer? the bringer of sweet peace and serenity? -- keep going.....

5. Experiment.  Try to use a metaphor in your book title

6. Complete some of the metaphor starters below. Use concrete words–of image, sound, and feeling. Remember those old cliches? Avoid them.  Be new and fresh and creative.
·    I’m as angry as
·    I’m as frustrated as
·    I’m as dizzy as
·    I’m as low as
·    I’m as powerful as a
·    I’m as tired as
·    I’m as energetic as
     I'm as confused as

Expand the list using your own ideas.  Don't settle for the old, remembered cliche metaphors - create new ones.

Mix them if you like, but don't go entirely crazy. It could become a parody of itself - which could be a good thing if that is your intent, not so good if it isn't. Here are some mixed up metaphors to give you an idea:

"I smell a rat [...] but I'll nip him in the bud" -- Irish politician Boyle Roche.

"If we can hit that bullseye then the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards... Checkmate." -- Futurama character Zapp Brannigan.

 
As writers we play with language.  We all have the potential for seeing things in our own unique way, for making connections in ways others have overlooked.  Play with metaphors. You don't want the Sumerians to have the last word, do you?

Writers Websites Wednesday - Name Generator

Time for another website I've stumbled across and this one is fun.  I do like the Random Name Generator.  I've posted more than one link to them.  This one has a good variety of names, ideas, places, etc. that can jump-start your own creativity or might be the exact thing you were searching for.  Check it out, amuse yourself.

Writers Websites Wednesday - Writers's Cafe

For a free sign up Writer's Cafe offers quite a bit.  Contest, the ability to post your story for review if you like, writing groups already established or start your own. Info on literary and publishers. It's worth looking around, you might find some gems.

The Multi Faceted Writer

Zorba Publishers Edition

Writers have a lot more on their plates than most people think they do.  There seems to be this mythology of a writer sitting behind a desk, pounding the keyboard, selling his/her work with ease, then sitting back and collecting a check.

Anyone who's been in writing and publishing for any time knows there's no truth to that image.

Nope, writers have to write the book, sell the book (this can take quite some time with or without an agent - and oh, yes, woo an agent if the writer wants to work with one), then help in the selling while writing another book.  Whew, that was a lot to cram into a sentence and that's just the easily visible part, remember all the subheadings that come under each heading. Things that include book tours, virtual or physical, maintaining a website and maybe a blog, spending time on social networking, sending out queries and yes, perhaps visiting conventions.

So, this round I'm going to talk a bit about pitching your manuscript to an editor or publisher, or perhaps an agent you'd love to have represent you.

Conventions, whether a national do or a local conference, are great places to exercise your promotional muscle.  It can be frightening or stress-inducing, depending upon how shy you are and how much you do or don't like presenting in front of others.

But, contacts at conventions can be a great shot at getting your manuscript on front of editors and agents so  you want to make your time spent with these folks count.

So, what's a pitch? They use them in the film industry to sell a script and in the book industry to sell manuscripts - or at least get them read.  It's a short description of your story, the plot narrowed down to one or just a few sentences (one is best).

How do you do this? You break it down into smaller bits that you can handle. Know who you're pitching to.  Take the time to research who will be at the convention, of them who you want to pitch to, who of that group you can actually get a chance to pitch to and then check those people out. Know about the publisher or agency they're attached to, the types of books they're interested in (hopefully you won't pitch a SciFi novel to someone who only reps or publishes romances). You can find a lot of information online and you might ask other writer friends, or you might call the company directly and speak for a few moments with a receptionist or secretary to get information.  Take the time to know who you're talking to and you'll put yourself above all those who don't bother to find out anything about whom they're going to see.

Research on who you're going to pitch to completed, you need to work on your actual pitch. You'll need to be able to tell the person what genre or subgenre your book falls into.  They'll want to know that for marketing purposes. You'll need to tell them where and when it takes place and of course about how long it is - an accurate word count.  Pitch only stories you've already written and can send a complete copy of. Very few things frustrate agents and publishers more than a great pitch followed by "I haven't finished it yet". Don't sabotage yourself.

Write and bring along copies of a short page that tells your story.  A synopsis.  Also have as a separate sheet or at the top of that one, the VERY short, one sentence or maybe two condensation of your story. Make it a very succinct statement of a story premise which would hopefully induce the editor/agent to want more.

Once the pitch is ready you need to practice. Do it out loud. Train your voice to be enthusiastic, filled with the power of your story, not strident, or stuttering. Go over it until you know it front, back and up-side-down. Be ready for a full blown pitch session, or if the fates point a finger in your direction and you find yourself in the buffet line with that editor or agent you want to pitch to and he or she turns to you and politely asks, "So, what do you write?" you'll be able to answer without considerable stumbling.

Oh, and don't forget to dress well. You don't have to be perfect or flashy, just clean, neat, you know, business casual.  You can bring your single sheet with your story synopsis to the meeting, but don't try to load that person down with more like disks or complete manuscripts.  You can always mail or email other materials later. And don't forget to ask for one of their business cards - you need that address whether to contact later or to have an accurate address to send materials that have been requested.

And remember these folks are people just like you.  Smile, draw a nice deep breath and try to relax. And if you mess up?  Don't worry, keep going and remember, the more you do it the easier it will become.

 
 

Writers Websites Wednesday - Media Bistro

If you haven't found Media Bistro yet, I'm surprised, but for those who haven't, check it out.  It offers industry news, jobs, blogs, articles and more for the freelance writer.

Settng the Scene; Writing The Mood

I was sitting down to write this post when I started thinking about what a beautiful day it is here today, sun shining, not a cloud in the sky, a touch of autumn in the air, how good I felt, how much I was smiling.

These are all things a writer needs to think about and identify.  These are things that enrich stories and bring them to life.

There are  many things that affect character and setting so I thought I'd pull one out and get you to think about how to use an element in your story.

For example, weather can be an important element in your setting. If it's sunny, windy, rainy, snowy, sleeting, hailing or just overcast. The weather can contribute to the mood the writer sets in a scene.  It can, and would, affect a character's emotional being and it can be used to foreshadow upcoming events.

So let's think about rain for one.  Consider how it looks.  If it's raining the sky is overcast and dark, things might seem bleary and depending on the power of the rain it might be drizzling or pounding.  It would put a sheen on everything like asphalt, sidewalks, windows; even more so if it's night. Leaves shake beneath the onslaught, awnings collect water and dump the overflow on people walking the street. Water can ooze into puddles or splash up with a downpour. Rain will drench hair, soak clothing and send people running for dry sanctuary. Think about how everything is affected, how it appears.

Then think about the other sensory input.  How rain smells.  It washes the air clean laving behind a fresh smell, unless you're in the tropics in which case it might be a more heavy, earthy, moldering vegetable smell.  If it's a full blown storm lightning might leave behind traces of an ozone smell.

Would there be a taste?  Water is water- BUT in an urban area might there be traces of something else?  Has the rain washed through something acidic in the air?  Is there something else?

And how does it feel?  It could be cold and wet making things clammy and very uncomfortable, or if it's a warm rain it might make the air heavy, humid and the characters miserable. In either hot or cold clothing would be saturated against skin, shoes would be soggy and irritating and a driving, hard rain can actually be stinging against the skin. People hunch over in the rain, they grab newspaper, briefcase, umbrella to huddle under for protection. Most people run in the rain, though some seem to relish it and stroll. Characters might shiver in a really cold rain. Some may be ready to dance naked in a warm rain.

Don't forget the sound it makes.  It can be a soft whoosh, an irregular pink-plonk, a powerful pounding. Rain falling on a tin roof can create a cacophony to the point where it's almost impossible to hear anything else. Or, of falling gently on a green lawn it might make only a whisper of sound. It depends on where the rain is falling, how hard, and if it's coming down at an angle or dropping straight from the heavens.

And what does all this do to the mood, the emotions of your characters?  Rain might stop your character from getting where he/she needs to be or doing what he/she needs to do.  It might force characters together seeking shelter from the rain who would otherwise not choose to occupy the same space and give you, the writer, the opportunity to take things slow for just a while, reflecting while the storm passes. It could be a depressing moment for the character or a cleaning one. It could be humbling before nature's power or romantic as in Gene Kelly's "Dancing In The Rain".

Be original, think of new associations or new twists as to how this can be used to your advantage.  BUT, avoid the old cliches.  Let's not have drizzling rain at a funeral or a little girl crying in the rain or the rain washing away the sins of the character.  It's been done.  Be more original. Think about how you, yourself, react to something, in this instance, rain. Think about how a character, feeling bleak, might feel that more intensely if the ran is followed by bright sunshine and a rainbow. Consider how joy can be tamped down by a drizzling rain or a biting wind that foreshadows trouble to come.

Don't be afraid to put this test out there when you're writing, and rain is just one of hundreds of examples.  How does it affect the character?  How does it feel?  Smell? Taste? Look? Stretch your writing and grow.