The Books:

Chapter After Chapter by Heather Sellers

78 Reasons Why Your Book May Never Be Published and 14 Reasons Why It Just Might by Pat Walsh

Write is a Verb by Bill O’Hanlon

Who Can Participate:

YOU if you receive the Write Wise Newsletter. The giveaway is open to all current subscribers of the newsletter.

How to Enter:

Leave a comment below with your name and the book you’d like to receive. You can only choose one of the three. You can click on the book pictures to see more about them on Amazon.

The giveaway closes on Friday, May 6 at 6 p.m. CDT. I’ll randomly draw winners from all the comments for the books. I’ll contact the winners via email for address details and send the books off.

If you have friends that want to get in on the giveaway, they must sign up for the newsletter. I’ll be verifying that the winner is on the list, so if he or she is not, I’ll draw an alternate name.

So what book would you like?

AND THE WINNERS ARE:

Chapter After Chapter – Leslie D.

78 Reasons Why Your Book May Never Be Published and 14 Reasons Why It Just Might – Jackie Miller

Write is a Verb – CharlotteBabb

I’ll be sending off emails to the winners for their addresses. Stay tuned for the next giveaway in a few days!

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The Books:

Room to Write: Daily Invitations to a Writer’s Life by Bonni Goldberg

Escaping Into the Open: The Art of Writing True by Elizabeth Berg

Steering the Craft: Exercises and Discussions on Story Writing for the Lone Navigator or the Mutinous Crew by Ursula K. Le Guin

Who Can Participate:

YOU if you receive the Write Wise Newsletter. The giveaway is open to all current subscribers of the newsletter.

How to Enter:

Leave a comment below with your name and the book you’d like to receive. You can only choose one of the three. You can click on the book pictures to see more about them on Amazon.

The giveaway closes on Friday, April 1 at 6 p.m. CDT. I’ll randomly draw winners from all the comments for the books. I’ll contact the winners via email for address details and send the books off.

If you have friends that want to get in on the giveaway, they must sign up for the newsletter. I’ll be verifying that the winner is on the list, so if he or she is not, I’ll draw an alternate name.

So what book would you like?

AND THE WINNERS ARE:

Room to Write: Daily Invitations to a Writer’s Life – Jim

Escaping Into the Open: The Art of Writing True – Lynden Blossom

Steering the Craft: Exercises and Discussions on Story Writing for the Lone Navigator or the Mutinous Crew – Janet Parfitt

I’ll be sending off emails to the winners for their addresses. Stay tuned for the next giveaway in a few days!

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The Books:

Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons From a Writing Life by Terry Brooks

(This is the hardback edition.)

How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author by Janet Evanovich

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

Who Can Participate:

YOU if you receive the Write Wise Newsletter. The giveaway is open to all current subscribers of the newsletter.

How to Enter:

Leave a comment below with your name and the book you’d like to receive. You can only choose one of the three. You can click on the book pictures to see more about them on Amazon.

The giveaway closes on Friday, March 18 at 6 p.m. CDT. I’ll randomly draw winners from all the comments for the books. I’ll contact the winners via email for address details and send the books off.

If you have friends that want to get in on the giveaway, they must sign up for the newsletter. I’ll be verifying that the winner is on the list, so if he or she is not, I’ll draw an alternate name.

So what book would you like?

AND THE WINNERS ARE:

Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons From a Writing Life – Mark Harley

How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author – Rene C.

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft – Chris Burgett aka WoundedMonk

I’ll be sending off emails to the winners for their addresses. Stay tuned for the next giveaway in a few days!

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The Books:

Pen on Fire by Barbara DeMarco-Barrett

The Writer’s Idea Workshop by Jack Heffron

First Draft in 30 Days by Karen S. Wiesner

Who Can Participate:

YOU if you receive the Write Wise Newsletter. The giveaway is open to all current subscribers of the newsletter.

How to Enter:

Leave a comment below with your name and the book you’d like to receive. You can only choose one of the three. You can click on the book pictures to see more about them on Amazon.

The giveaway closes on Friday, March 11 at 6 p.m. CST. I’ll randomly draw winners from all the comments for the books. I’ll contact the winners via email for address details and send the books off.

If you have friends that want to get in on the giveaway, they must sign up for the newsletter. I’ll be verifying that the winner is on the list, so if he or she is not, I’ll draw an alternate name.

So what book would you like?

AND THE WINNERS ARE:

Pen on Fire – Carol B.

The Writer’s Idea Workshop – Anne

First Draft in 30 Days – Shaun

I’ll be sending off emails to the winners for their addresses. Stay tuned for the next giveaway in a few days!

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The Books:

Page After Page by Heather Sellers

The Writer’s Little Helper by James V. Smith, Jr.

Book in a Month by Victoria Lynn Schmidt

Who Can Participate:

YOU if you receive the Write Wise Newsletter. The giveaway is open to all current subscribers of the newsletter.

How to Enter:

Leave a comment below with your name and the book you’d like to receive. You can only choose one of the three. You can click on the book pictures to see more about them on Amazon.

The giveaway closes on Friday, March 4 at 6 p.m. CST. I’ll randomly draw a winner from all the comments and that person wins their chosen book. I’ll contact the winner via email for your address details and send the book off.

If you have friends that want to get in on the giveaway, they must sign up for the newsletter. I’ll be verifying that the winner is on the list, so if he or she is not, I’ll draw an alternate name.

If all goes well, and why wouldn’t it, this will be a weekly event. A small way to say thank you for being my loyal subscribers!

So what book would you like?

AND THE WINNERS ARE:

Rather than just pick one winner, I’ve decided to give away all three books this round, so the three winners are:

Page After Page – Grazing Kate

The Writer’s Little Helper – Nadine

Book in a Month – Megsmomjac

I’ll be sending off emails to the winners for their addresses. Stay tuned for the next giveaway in a few days!

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“It is impossible to sell animal stories in the U.S.A.”
Animal Farm by George Orwell

“Older children wouldn’t like it because its language is too difficult.”
Watership Down by Richard Adams

“The girl doesn’t, it seems to me, have a special perception or feeling which would lift that book above the ‘curiosity’ level.”
The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank

“It does not seem to us that you have been wholly successful in working out an admittedly promising idea.”
Lord of the Flies by William Golding

“For your own good do not publish this book.”
Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence

“A long, dull novel about an artist.”
Lust for Life by Irving Stone

“You have buried your novel underneath a heap of details which are well done but utterly superfluous.”
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

“Neither long enough for a serial, nor short enough for a single story.”
A Study in Scarlet (short story) by Arthur Conan Doyle

“It contains unpleasant elements.”
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

“A very bad book.”
The Bridge Over the River Kwai by Pierre Boulle

“If you insist on rewriting this, get rid of the Indian stuff.”
The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman

‘I’m sorry, Mr. Kipling, but you just don’t know how to use the English language.”
Unspecified manuscript by Rudyard Kipling

“…overwhelmingly nauseating, even to an enlightened Freudian…the whole thing is an unsure cross between hideous reality and improbable fantasy. It often becomes a wild, neurotic daydream. I recommend that it be buried under a stone for a thousand years.”
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

“I do not see anything in this to convince me you can write either narrative or fiction.”
one of Zane Grey’s early novels

“We are not interested in science fiction which deals with negative utopias. They do not sell.”
Carrie by Stephen King

So what’s the secret to rejection?

Don’t let rejections stop you from writing. And submitting.

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The traditional publishing world is struggling with the increasing popularity of electronic books. Their profit margins are shrinking. That means less money for the promotion of mid-list and first-time author books. Without promotion, book sales will be dismal and the writer’s career as an author, short-lived.

To survive and thrive as a writer these days, you need to do your own promotion to get your books noticed and increase sales.

Enter the Internet – the world-wide information net that is now the go-to location when you want to find out anything.

Like what book you should read next.

Writers can take advantage of the Internet’s far reach:

• to locate readers that may never walk into a bookstore
• to find readers for great books that maybe didn’t get a huge publicity campaign from the publisher
• to find fans who will buy, love and rave about their books to other readers

And using the Internet for promotion is super inexpensive compared to other forms of advertising. That’s good news for writers who don’t have a lot of money to spend on promotion.

At Novelocity you’ll:

• get tips on using your website effectively to impress editors and readers
• learn how to use social media to find and build relationships with readers
• discover the secrets of successful strategies that other authors have used to increase their readership and sell a lot more books
• learn how to put together a marketing plan that fits you and your book

There are 1,733,993,741 people on the Internet (as of September 2009 – probably lots more now).

That’s a lot of potential readers.

Let’s go find them.

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I’m getting this list out early as some classes close registration before the end of the preceding month. Another great list of classes available at low-cost prices. Sign up early if you’re interested.

Action Sequences: Writing Heart-Pounding Fight Scenes, Chases and Climaxes with Angela Knight – Learn how to create heroes and villains who are a good match for each other, how to choreograph fight scenes, and how to build a plotline that rises to a climax that makes readers eager for your next book. $15/CRW and HCRW members, $25/non-members

Scene CPR: Breathing Life into an Ailing Scene with Laurin Wittig – Discover a simple but powerful way to turn your ailing scene into a robust part of your story along with the power of the four stage sequel and how to combine it with your scenes to create a story that keeps your readers turning the pages long into the night. $10/CRW and HCRW members, $15/non-members

Goal Hunters: Revealing The Real Story Stakes And Motives with Raquel Rodriguez – Hook your reader by creating page-turning conflicts based in realism with a believable GMC, viable stakes, and a firm plot foundation. $15/Savvy Author members, $25/non-members

Foreshadowing with June Diehl – Explore the purpose of this technique and how to effectively use it in fiction. Free/Savvy Author members, $5/non-members

How, When and Why to Change Point Of View Mid-Scene with Laurie Saunders – Explore the many situations when changing viewpoint mid-scene is exactly what you need to do. Free/Savvy Author members, $5/non-members

Before Copy Editing with Claudia Suzanne – Discover how to Chart & restructure nonfiction, Map & characterize plots, Convert passive voice & static phrasing to active prose, Convert tell into show. Free/Savvy Author members, Free/non-members

How To Promote When You Don’t Know How with Jamieson Wolf – Learn how to promote your novel using new media to get yourself known and to establish a brand! Free/Savvy Author members, Free/non-members

Editing & Book Design: After the Writing Is Done with Jill Ronsley – Get answers to your questions about what happens after your manuscript is done. Free/Savvy Author members, $5/non-members

Crash Revisions with Holly Lisle – Learn how to do an editor’s revision in seven days. And how YOU become the pro who doesn’t blow deadlines. Free/Savvy Author members, $5/non-members

Promoting with Social Media with Theresa Meyers – Learn the ins and outs of how sites such as Twitter, MySpace and Facebook work, how to maximize your followers and use social media as a relationship building method to create your own platform and national audience. Free/Savvy Author members, $5/non-members

The Power Of the Senses; Enhancing Author’s Voice, Characterization, and Conflict with Bill Haggart – Learn which senses you favor in experiencing the world and how that shapes your voice, characters, and conflicts. $9/Elements members, $15/non-members

Critiquing with Camy Tang – Learn common things to look for in your own manuscript, and learn tricks for critiquing others, as well. $10/FF&P members, $20/non-members

The Synopsis Queen Tells All with Kara Lennox – Uncover how to break down the synopsis-writing process into a foolproof formula that will have maximum impact for minimum words. $10/FF&P members, $20/non-members

The Ins and Outs of ePublishing with Dara Edmondson – Discover what to write, how to submit, the inevitable pitfalls to avoid and the resources available. $10/FF&P members, $20/non-members

What a Wicked Web We Weave: A Spider’s Approach to Subplots in Storytelling with Theresa Meyers – Learn how to write big by adding multiple layers to your stories. $10/FF&P members, $20/non-members

Get Grammar with Kat Duncan – Learn simple sentence patterns and how to blend different grammar constructions to make action, emotion and tension come through. $10/FF&P members, $20/non-members

Is that Hollywood Calling? with Cindy Carroll – Learn the differences between writing books and writing scripts. And how writing a screenplay can help improve your novel writing. $16

Beyond Fangs: Creating New and Interesting Paranormal Characters with Deborah Blake – Explore the alternatives to over-used supernatural stereotypes and help you to create your own unique paranormal character. $16

Prose And Contests: Everything You Wanted To Know About Writing Contests But Were Afraid To Ask with Amy Atwell – Get an overview of the contest process, sources for researching contests, help in identifying your motive for entering a contest and tips on preparing your contest entry. $16

12 Stages of the Writer’s Adventure: You are the Hero of Your Book Writing Adventure with Beth Barany – Learn tips and tools for keeping an eye on your inner landscape so you can achieve your goal of writing a book. $16

Pitch Perfect with Kerri Nelson – Learn the secrets to nailing your pitch, how to score a home run with editors, and how not to stop short of getting the results you want. $20/RWA members, $25/non-members

May The Force Be With You (Adding Realistic Law Enforcement & Legal System Elements Into Your Novel) with Kerri Nelson – Learn “cop talk”, criminal evidence procedures, anatomy of a lawsuit, and more! $15/Yellow Rose members, $25/non-members

The Regency Woman with Nancy Mayer – Learn the roles, expectations, rights, and power of a Regency woman, including common myths and mistakes writers make in their stories. $20/OCC members, $30/non-members

Down, Dirty and Quick Plotting Bootcamp with Raquel Rodriguez – Discover this bare bones, no-frills plotting nitty-gritty approach to getting the story outline done takes a different look at how to accomplish the exact same objectives as other plotting courses without the extra details. Free/FTHRW members, $20/non-members

Mastering Point of View with Diane O’Connell – Learn how understanding and mastering point of view can fix an ailing manuscript and turn a decent but lackluster novel into a page-turner. $15/NEORWA members, $20/non-members

Paranormal Forensics with Katherine Ramsland – Explore the factual background of several crimes and their investigations, as well as the reports of paranormal events involved. $15/KOD members, $30/non-members

The 4 C’s: Building Characters and Plot with Sue Viders and Becky Martinez – Discover how the Four C’s help to define a character’s role in a book, even as it assists the writer in beginning to construct a fast-paced plot. $15/KOD members, $30/non-members

No Matter How Busy You Are, You Can Find TIME TO WRITE! with Kelly L. Stone – Discuss finding time to write, seven professional writing schedules, develop your writing action plan and learn how to deal with distractions and resistance to writing. $20/MWV members, $25/non-members

Once More with Feeling: Getting Your Book on Keeper Shelves with Cheryl St. John – Learn how to convey emotion in your stories that will connect so vividly with readers that your books will become favorites. $25

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In my newsletter, I do a lot of case studies on writers. I like to study the writing process of other writers. Even though we’re all unique and we have our own unique process for writing, there is sometimes overlap.

For example, I prefer to outline my plot before I write. So do a lot of other writers.

But we don’t outline exactly the same and that’s the fun part. What technique or tip can I pick up from another writer that makes my plotting better? I’m always looking for what I can steal and incorporate into my own process.

Here are some interesting variations on plotting.

Robert Crais

Robert starts a book with approximately three months of outlining and general notes. He uses the time to develop the characters and then the story line. “The story requires the most work. I have to live with the story for months. I’m not one of those writers who can just begin typing on paper. I couldn’t keep all the clues straight if I didn’t plan it all out.”

Janet Evanovich

Janet generally creates a brief outline before beginning a new book, with one or two sentences about what will happen in each chapter.

She also uses storyboarding to map out the action in her stories. “I have a huge white dry-erase board that hangs on the wall in my office. I’ve already decided who the villain is going to be; I’ve decided what the crime is, and how the book is going to end. So now I map out in a couple of sentences what the physical action is going to be– that is, the action that is going to promote the crime line of the book. Every now and then, I’ll add what is going to happen in Stephanie’s romantic relationship and sketch in the secondary plot information as well.”

Lois McMaster Bujold

Lois makes a broad section outline, what she calls “the event horizon”, which is how far she can see to write until she has to stop and make up some more. This is usually between one and three chapters. She gets mental pictures of what scenes should go in the next chapter and she pushes them around until they slot into sequence. She then pulls out the next scene and outlines it closely, as a kind of messy first draft. She choreographs dialogue especially carefully.

She takes her notes to the computer and types up the actual scene. She continues this process until she gets to the end of the chapter and her brain is out of ideas. Then it is back to the outlining for the next scene. Each scene she writes has the potential of changing what comes next in the story, so she re-outlines constantly.

It’s All Plotting, But…

Robert outlines meticulously so that every clue and detail is known before he starts writing.

Janet jots down a couple of sentences for each chapter, using a storyboard to track the action.

Lois plots just enough for a couple of chapters at a time.

Three successful writers. Three different variations on outlining and plotting.

Your Turn

Do you outline your novel before you start writing? What’s your process like?

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Taking a class and interacting with other writers can be a great way to improve your writing. Take a look at the following online writing classes being offered in February and see if one of them will help you take your writing to the next level.

Working the Muddle Out of Your Middle with Cheryl St. John – Discover the techniques that will carry you across the middle of your book without losing your energy and drive. $25

Druids: The Ancient Priesthood of the Celts with Sharon Gunn – Learn about the religion of the druids, their rituals and beliefs. $15/CHRW members, $20/non-members

Writing Evocative Fiction with Ann Schroeder – Study how basic emotions are expressed and hidden. Learn to probe your character’s motivation in ways that reveal her deepest emotional yearnings. $20/MWV members, $25/non-members

You Stab ‘Em, We Stab ‘Em with John Foxjohn – With the guidance of John Foxjohn, the students will go through all aspects of solving the homicides as if they were the actual homicide detectives. They’ll collect evidence, interview people, search for answers, and stay within legal guidelines.

Deep POV: Myths, Methods, and Madness with Alicia Rasley – Discuss the myths of Deep POV, the methods of getting into character and presenting the story, and the madness you might need to experience to truly get into someone else’s mind and body. $15/KoD members, $30/non-members

Discover How to Grow a Story Spine with Sylvie Kurtz – Learn the basic story arc and discuss why readers expect it, then walk through each of the seven story spines–the set-up, the meet, the first complication, the mid-point, the swivel, the dark moment and the joyful resolution–with examples along the way. $15/NEORWA members, $20/non-members

Fast Draft and Revision Hell with Candace Havens – Learn the secrets of Candace Haven’s step-by-step process to help you finish your work in progress in just two weeks. At the end of the two weeks, you’ll have your first draft. Then move on to Candace’s 2-week system to get you through the revision process and end with a polished manuscript that is ready to sell. $20/OCC members, $30/non-members

Creating Characters that Walk Off the Page with Karen Sandler – Learn how to talk to your hero and heroine, then be ready to listen for their answers. Use “trigger questions” to spark creativity, and fill-in forms and character interviews will assist you in creating dynamic, likable characters. $15/Yellow Rose members, $25/non-members

The Plotting Wheel: Ten Elements that Move Your Story Forward with Becky Martinez and Sue Viders – Discover a step-by-step method that can help everyone from beginners to published authors develop their ideas into novel form. $20/RWA members, $25/non-members

Fishing In: Hooks that Grab the Reader with Kristin Hardy – Learn how to craft a hook – that irresistible lure that makes an agent, editor and reader want more of your book. $16

Yummy Heroes with Jackie Ivie and Teresa Bodwell – This workshop looks beyond the Alpha/Beta debate to: 1) What makes a hero satisfying for his heroine? and 2) How can the author best portray those heroic traits? $16

Goal, Motivation, Conflict and Disaster with Misa Ramirez – This online course will take you through the process of understanding the elements of a scene and will introduce the concept of sequel. You will use your favorite fiction to identify how authors use Goal, Motivation, Conflict, and Disaster, as well as write your own scene(s) using these crucial 4 elements. $16

Dirty Little Secrets of Character Development with Keena Kinkaid – Use fun, inventive exercises that to root out your characters’ deep, dark secrets and desires, as well as learn how to use these secrets to further plot, conflict and—of course—the romance. $16

Mythic Elements with Marcy Weydemuller – mythic elements can add an extra layer of depth to a novel, whether contemporary, historical, paranormal or fantasy. Examine some metaphoric functions that help build emotional resonance and memory. $15/FFnP members, $25/non-members

The Art of Rewriting with Martha Engber – Learn about adopting the right expectations; estimating the time necessary for completion; understanding the three levels of editing; breaking the job into manageable pieces; and seeking feedback as part of the process. $10/FFnP members, $20/non-members

Writing Action Scenes the WWE Way with Matt and Natalie Duvall – Learn to apply the principles of WWE™-style to any scene that describes physical action. Discuss four of the key components of WWE™ entertainment, along with examples from a variety of fictional works, to show that these concepts can (and have) been used in wildly successful novels. $10/FFnP members, $20/non-members

Discovering Your Author Brand with Theresa Meyers – Uncover the basics of author branding, what it is, why it works and what advantages it offers; the three phases of brand building and the roles of author, publisher, publicist and agent; why brand building and brand awareness are different and how you can shoot your career in the foot if you aren’t careful; what roles producing books, advertising, marketing and publicity play in creating an author brand; what brand equity is and how it works to your advantage; seven steps to building a strong author brand for yourself; and how to use your author brand as a map for your career. $12/Elements members, $20/non-members

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