Seriously flawed standards

Two on a Rant

Now, on a serious note.

I happened upon a writer on Twitter and Facebook:

Dakota Willink

Her Twitter introduction:  “Amazon Int’l Bestselling Romance Author | Survived my 1st publishing with coffee & wine | Music Lover | Star Wars Geek Since Birth.”

She explains how non-writers are scamming the system at Amazon

and

graciously allowed me to reprint (aka copy/paste) her post.

<_><_><_>

I need to tell a story – it’s going to be a long one, so settle in if you’re interested in hearing it.

I began writing my first book in 2013. I self-published it on December 27, 2015. I was new to the business and I literally knew nothing. I made my own cover, which I’m embarrassed of now. But hey – I was brand spanking new and was learning as I went. And yes, there were typos galore in this first book. My January 2016 sales…

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6 Ways to Show Emotions for Non-POV Characters – by Becca Puglisi…

Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

on Jami Gold:

Those of you who are familiar with me know that Angela Ackerman and I talk a lot about emotion. A LOT.

That’s because we believe that clearly conveying emotion—particularly that of the protagonist or viewpoint character—plays an important role in building reader empathy. If we can build a strong connection for the reader, they’ll become invested in the character and be more likely to keep reading.

The other reason character emotion is so important is that it draws the reader into the story.

Continue reading HERE

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Author Spotlight – Susan A. Royal

Writer's Treasure Chest

Welcome!

Please introduce yourself.

Hi I’m Susan A. Royal. I live in a cute little farmhouse in the country with all kinds of birds and furry critters for neighbors.

1. When did you start writing?

I’ve been writing as long as I can remember. My first book was written on notebook paper, illustrate and bound with red ribbon. I still have it.

2. What motivates you to write?

I love words and the feelings they can invoke. Nothing inspires me more than a good book, a good movie or a good song.

3. What genre do you write in and what made you chose this particular genre?

Any kind of scifi or fantasy. I love to escape to other worlds.

4. What is your goal in writing? Do you have dreams where your writing should take you?

I just want to keep getting better. My next book is always my…

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Medieval Monday Index

Allison D. Reid

I have now created over a year’s worth of Medieval Monday posts, can you believe it?! This index is for anyone who might want to glance back at posts they may have forgotten or missed, and as a resource for those doing research of their own. The index should make it easier to find information on specific topics of interest. (General topics are at the bottom of the page.) I will add this post to my menu and keep it up to date as I write new ones. Sometimes I will link to another website with relevant information. If you find a link that has stopped working, please contact me.

Want to know more on a particular topic, but don’t see it here? Make a suggestion! I’m up for the challenge. 🙂

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Labors of the Months

January: http://allisondreid.com/2018/01/28/medieval-monday-labors-of-january-2/

February: https://allisondreid.com/2017/02/06/medieval-monday-labors-of-february/

March: https://allisondreid.com/2017/03/06/medieval-monday-the-labors-of-march/

April: https://allisondreid.com/2017/04/03/medieval-monday-the-labors-of-april/

May:

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Fantasy Sub-Genres

This is going to come in handy.

Nicholas C. Rossis

Image: Pixabay

When I finished my first book in the Pearseus universe, I was faced with an unexpected problem: everyone kept saying that identifying your genre was important. But my book crossed many genres. It was, essentially, a fantasy tale taking place in the future, with technology and a tiny bit of crystal magic. So, how the heck do you find a genre to shoehorn this kind of book into?

After several unsuccessful attempts to do so, I now describe it as science fiction fantasy (aka science fantasy) but wish I had come across this handy guide from Thoughts on Fantasy before I spent so many hours researching fantasy subgenres!

From Tolkienesque High Fantasy to Paranormal Romance, this is the ultimate guide for all things fantasy. Just click on a link below for a brief description of that subgenre, examples of books written in it, and typical elements that characterize…

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If It Sounds Like Writing, Rewrite It

I like Elmore Leonard’s thinking.

Author Don Massenzio

This title of this post comes from a quote by famed western and crime novelist Elmore Leonard. I came across the quote some time ago and it didn’t resonate with me right away. It really hit home, however, when I began reading my first book, Frankly Speaking, as I attempted to record the audio book version. It is amazing what you uncover when you read your work aloud. I found some of the sentences to be clumsy and even difficult to read at times. I had read in another writing tips book to read your work aloud as you rewrite it. I always thought that it was a waste of time, but I am now convinced that it isn’t.

Another tip from Leonard took on additional meaning as I read my book aloud. He says, “take out the parts that people skip.” As I read my book, I found…

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50 Useful Tips to Boost Your Organisation and Productivity

Good advice to stay on track

Suzie Speaks

This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small amount of money if you make a purchase from any of the Amazon links included…

A routine is incredibly important to productivity, motivation and organisation and a morning routine (even if you aren’t a morning person) followed by further preparation in the evening is more likely to encourage a successful day. 

Avoid focusing on the idea of perfection. There’s no such thing. Avoid getting caught up in fussing over the insignificant.

Plan your month in advance. Using a calendar, phone, diary or Bullet Journal, map out your month. I like to see an overview of everything on one page, so I create a linear list in my Bullet Journal for the entire month of dates when I have an appointment, event and a birthday to remember. I duplicate this list onto a single piece of paper…

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Turning an Idea into a Plot

good advice

Uninspired Writers

Good morning writers, I hope you’ve had a great week.

I took a little time out this week, and took myself to Edinburgh for a few days. It’s an amazing city, and my aim was to spend some time alone, plotting novel 2 ahead of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month).

Whether you’re planning to take part in NaNo or not, you may sometimes find yourself struggling to turn an idea into a full plot. I know do. So I’m going to share with you my method for turning a fledgling idea into a full story outline. (Please note, this is not a guaranteed guide, it works for me but may not work for everybody.)

Take a look at the following eight steps, to turn your novel idea into a plot:

1. Spend some quiet time thinking
The first thing I do when I have the stirrings of a new…

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It’s Finally Here!

Here in Texas, the first day of fall sometimes slips by virtually unnoticed, but this year was an exception. It began with a downpour. Heavy dark clouds, a little fog, and chilly weather set the tone for the day.

Made me want to pull out my recipes. After months of salads and quick meals, nothing sounds (or smells) better than a pot of homemade soup and hot bread. I’ve already changed my comforter and added another thin cotton quilt for cooler nights to come. My tub of fall decorations is sitting in the living room, waiting.

Soon it’ll be time to get out and look at all the fall decorations, search for the red mums and colorful pumpkins I use on my front porch. October is a busy month. Our town hosts Autumn Trails every year so there’s something going on every weekend. My daughter and I usually go to the Arts and Crafts show for her birthday. My sister and I plan to go to Canton to celebrate our birthday at the end of the month. And every year my son and daughter-in-law host a Halloween party.

I’m looking forward to it.

Advice On Submitting to Agents

Good advice!

Uninspired Writers

Morning world builders, I hope you’ve all had a great week.

Last Sunday I sent of my first ever submissions. I sent my carefully crafted work out into the world, and now I am up against the long wait for inevitable rejections and potential feedback.

It’s taken a long time to reach this point and I’ve needed to do a lot of research, and seek a lot of help, to get here. So I want to share with you some of the advice that has helped me, and some of the things I’ve learned. Please share your advice in the comments, as there’s still plenty I don’t know.

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1. Make sure your novel is finished
This is the first advice you’ll see anywhere. It’s really tempting, when you’ve had an amazing idea, to pitch it before it’s ready. But the truth us, most agents want to hear from writers who…

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