Excerpt: Sticks and Stones by Terri Giuliano Long

Excerpt: “Sticks and Stones: The Changing Politics of the Self-Publishing Stigma”

For better or worse, the days when they were the sole gatekeepers are behind us. Today, rejection by traditional houses says little about a book. “Some wonderful books [are rejected] for various reasons—nothing to do with quality,” says Jenny Bent. A publisher may reject a book because it doesn’t fit into a clear category. A traditional house may also turn down a book if it doesn’t have an obvious audience or if the author has too small a platform or a poor sales track with previous books.

In the old days, determined authors turned to self-publishing—or vanity presses, as they were called—as a last resort. Serious authors, concerned about being black- balled, dared not self-publish. As a result, talented authors like John Kennedy Toole, whose posthumously published masterpiece, A Confederacy of Dunces, won a Pulitzer Prize (1981), went to their grave believing their work did not measure up.

Today, many talented authors choose the self-publishing route and they do it for a variety of reasons. Jackie Collins recently shocked the literary world with her announcement that she planned to self-publish a new, rewritten version of her novel The Bitch. “Times are changing,” Collins said of her decision, “and technology is changing, so I wanted to experiment with this growing trend of self-publishing.”

Industry superstars like New York Times bestselling authors Barbara Freethy and C.J. Lyons use self-publishing platforms to market their out-of-print backlists. Other authors are drawn to self-publishing because of its flexibility, the ability to publish within their own timeframe, for instance—perhaps to leverage topical interest or mark an anniversary. Others authors self-publish out of a desire for artistic control.

Self-publishing can also be a practical way to build an audience. Today, publishers expect authors to have a solid platform. By self-publishing, emerging authors can build the fan base necessary to attract a traditional publisher for their next work. Other authors, long-timers as well as newbies, feel they can make more money on their own. At $2.99 a pop, authors earn nearly $2.00 on every eBook sale. Even at 99¢, with average royalties of 33¢ to 60¢, earnings on a hot-selling book can quickly out-pace the meager advance offered to all but the superstars by a traditional house.

These days—insult-hurling aside—traditional and indie authors are more alike than different. Mindful of their increased scrutiny, self-publishers take full advantage of the myriad professional services available to authors. Indies hire experienced editors to copyedit and proofread. For their cover and interior designs, some work with the same graphic artists who design for the traditional houses. Professionals are available and widely used to covert documents to digital and paperback formats, and POD printing has gotten so good that, to the typical untrained eye, print-on-demand books are virtually indistinguishable from books printed on an offset press.

Literary agent and publishing consultant Joelle Delbourgo, founder and president of Joelle Delbourgo Associates, Inc., formerly a senior publishing executive at Random House and HarperCollins, says some self-publishers go a step further and work with a professional publishing partner, a strategy she recommends. A publishing pro with a track record of success can bring an author to the next level, Delbourgo says.

For a few years, Bethanne Patrick, a publicist and media consultant also known as “The Book Maven,” creator of the global reading community Friday Reads, was skeptical of self-publishing. Through her work in social media, Patrick has read more indie titles and gotten to know writers who’ve chosen to self-publish. More and more indie authors, she’s noticed, seek the advice of freelance editors, publicists, and marketing consultants—and she’s intrigued.

As well-educated and experienced writers—emerging authors who’ve honed their craft as well as established and traditionally published authors—increasingly opt to go the indie route, the bar is rising.  As with indie musicians and filmmakers, indie authors bring new life to an evolving industry. Today, readers have access to a wealth of funny, poignant, brilliant voices of talented new authors from around the globe—voices that, just a few years ago, might have been silenced by the old guard.

The opportunity to self-publish—to publish their books their own way—has given both emerging and established authors more freedom than ever before. So, yes, now that readers choose which books to purchase and support, dollars may shift and some traditional authors may be forced to give up a slice of the pie. Change is never easy; inevitably, there are bumps and bruises along the way. But, like or not, indie publishing is here to stay. And the publishing world will be all the richer for it.

Please visit the full article on indiereader.com. Thank you to Terri for sharing these wonderful thoughts!

Guest Post by Caroline Burau

Thank you to Caroline Burau for her guest post on self-publishing!

 

Self-publishing: The good news is, it’s all you! And the hard part is, it’s all you.

 

Having my memoir, Answering 911: Life in the Hot Seat picked up by a well-respected publisher in 2006 was a huge thrill. I signed a contract, finished my first draft, and immediately the wheels started turning.

During the six months leading up to publication, someone other than me did a whole slew of things I didn’t fully appreciate at the time. A gorgeous cover was designed, drafts of the book were edited multiple times (some with, some without my input), advanced copies were sent out to numerous media outlets for reviews, and respected authors were picked to provide blurbs. As if this wasn’t enough, about a month before the release date, a lovely young lady name Jana called me and introduced herself as my publicist. My publicist? I have a publicist? Jana took care of booking readings, signings, radio, newspaper, and TV interviews.

In short, I wrote a book, participated in the editing process, then basically made sure I showed up when and where I was told to go. The pace got somewhat rigorous, and I fought my own nerves at every single appearance, but it was a wonderful ride that I know many writers would kill to experience.

And then it was over. One day, I called Jana about a request I’d gotten for a reading at a local library and she broke the news: “I’m not your publicist anymore.” I was aghast! But it was nothing personal. My time was up; she was on to the next new title.

Over the years, I continued doing occasional readings and appearances for Answering 911. In 2011, I completed a novel, Sugarfiend, and hoped that my status as a published author would give me an advantage. After querying more than two dozen agents and getting little to no response, I felt like giving up.

Novels, I was told, are more numerous and therefore harder to sell than memoir or nonfiction. I would have to be patient. I’m not big on being patient. Self-publishing seemed the logical choice.

And it’s been great . . . but it’s been slow. Why? Because I’m it. I’m the writer, editor, cover designer, marketing department, publisher, and publicist. If it wasn’t for my husband’s technical know-how and marketing background, I might truly be overwhelmed.

To start, I had to get over my biggest fear: that because the book hadn’t been picked up by a “real” publisher, it wasn’t any good. But over the course of four meticulous full edits, I at last reached a point where I not only liked Sugarfiend, but enjoyed it. That’s when I knew it was ready.

From there, I formatted the book for three different self-publishing formats: Kindle, Nook, and CreateSpace (for the trade paperback.) It was time-consuming and taxed my scant technical know-how. (Again, husband! To the rescue.)

Now that the book is available, the responsibility of getting the word out is all mine.  Media outlets tend to look askance at self-published works. They get a lot of queries from people looking for publicity, and without a reputable publisher’s seal of approval, it’s hard to get them to pay attention.

So, while my royalties are much higher with my self-published book (70-50 percent versus 10 percent or less with a traditional publisher) the number of units sold will inevitably be much lower. But thanks to the power of social media, newspapers, radio, and TV no longer hold a monopoly on information. Plenty of self published authors have used Facebook, Twitter and other outlets to drum up huge word of mouth.

To get the word out, I now blog regularly for www.women.com and as a guest blogger for anyone who will have me (like this awesome site). It’s fun, and it keeps my writing chops up. I stick to sites where I think my target audience will find me: women, sugar “addicts”, and lovers of humorous fiction. I also hired a web designer to set up my own author blog and web site (www.carolineburau.com) a central location for fans to check out both books, read updates, and link to my social media pages.

In short, the great part is that it’s all up to me. And the hard part is that it’s all up to me.

It’s too soon to tell whether I made the right choice. I still entertain fantasies of Sugarfiend getting the attention of some big exec at Penguin, getting signed to a 50,000-unit first-run, then being adapted for a major motion picture (which I’ve already decided must star Kat Dennings.)

But mostly, I’m glad I can say to fans of my first book and anyone else who asks, that Sugarfiend is out there and ready for the world to enjoy. And I didn’t wait for anyone’s nod of approval. I did it for myself.

 

Caroline Burau is a freelance writer in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, and author of Sugarfiend http://www.amazon.com/Sugarfiend-ebook/dp/B0071BFKOW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1328076456&sr=8-2  and Answering 911: Life in the Hot Seat. http://www.amazon.com/Answering-911-Life-Hot-Seat/dp/0873516028/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328076456&sr=8-1

You can also follow her on Twitter (@carolineburau)

 

 

Guest Post by Terri Giuliano Long

Big thank you to Terri Giuliano Long to stop by CLP on her blog tour for In Leah’s Wake!

 

“It is our choices…that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, 1999

 Finding Balance – Or Not

 As a young mom with four active daughters, involved in school, music and sports, my life was a hodge-podge of bustling activity. I wrote part-time, at night or in the wee hours of the morning, while my family slept. Back then, I fantasized about a time when my life would be my own – no more afternoons spent driving from one activity to the next, no volunteer work, no laundry fairy multiplying the loads. I imagined long, uninterrupted days at my desk, immersed in my work.

Now our daughters are grown, two with families of their own. While, yes, I occasionally spend 10, 12, 14 hours at my desk, those days are rare. Like most women writers, I constantly struggle to find balance.

My husband is a terrific guy. When the girls were little, he, not I, got up in the middle of the night. Even now, he does more than his fair share of the chores. When our daughters need something fixed – their car breaks down, for example – they don’t hesitate to call him. With emotional issues, I’m the one they rely on. Believe me, talking is far more time-consuming than finding a mechanic to fix the transmission.

Whenever the need arises, because I’m a mom first, before anything else, my work takes a backseat. Deadlines get pushed back, the article or story goes unedited, the book sits in a file, waiting, neglected. And I feel guilty for letting it go. If I do focus on work, I feel guilty for not devoting more time to my family. Either way, I feel bad about myself.

Every female writer I know says the same thing. We love our families – we want to give of ourselves – but why does it have to be either-or?

Years ago, I attended a seminar with Alice Hoffman as the keynote speaker. It was not merely that I loved and admired her work. No, I wanted to be Alice Hoffman. This successful female writer put out a bestselling book every year. And they were good. Very good. And she had kids.

This was a woman who did it all, and did it all well. I couldn’t wait to learn how. Imagine my surprise when she talked about the difficulty of striking a balance. “My kids,” she said, “think I don’t have a job.”

 Say what? Would the kids think the same if their dad were a writer?

Probably not. Because he’d have an office and it would be off-limits.

Most men I know store their roles in separate compartments, to be taken out, dusted off, and worn at appropriate times. Our role is fluid. We can’t turn off, tune out or otherwise escape family responsibility. We’re always on. In all fairness, fathers are fathers every day of their life. The difference is, we mothers are moms every minute of ours.

I don’t resent this, not for an instant, and I’m sure you don’t either.

I want to be with my family. In fact, as I’ve come to realize, I’ve actively chosen this life.

Men find balance – by marrying us. Yet, even if we had wives, their needs, I suspect, would be at least equal to ours. Most women are people-centric. Sure, we value success, but we’re relationship-oriented. The people we love truly are our reason for living.

I’ve spent a lifetime seeking balance only to find that it doesn’t exist. Balance is elusive, a figment of our imagination, reinforced by culture in movies and TV. If we’re to be contented, we have to let go. We’ve got to accept that we can’t always do it all – and quit feeling guilty!

She who dies with the most toys – or the cleanest house or the best brownies – does not necessarily win. Or maybe she does. But, believe me, unless she’s got ice running through her veins, she feels guilty too. That’s who we are. Better to accept it than always fight and feel guilty.

Our lives are big and wonderful and, yes, messy. And that’s OK. So go ahead – kiss those boo-boos. Call a friend. Spend an extra hour or two at your desk. The beds will get made, the cleaning picked up, the laundry folded. Maybe not in that order. Really, why does it matter?

 

Website: www.tglong.com
Blog: http://terriglong.com/blog/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tglongwrites
Twitter: @tglong

 

Guest Post by Nancy Scrofano

Letting Characters Go

I love characters from my favorite TV shows, movies, and books, so I definitely fell in love with my own characters from my debut novel, True Love Way. I spent over two years with these characters, thinking about them, writing dialogue for them, and developing them. It was much more time than I had ever invested in characters from other works because there was one key difference. The characters in my novel are mine. It seemed like I would never be apart from them, since the writing and editing process was long and arduous. But when the day finally came to turn in my final version of my manuscript, I thought I was ready. I wanted to finally be through with two year’s work. I wanted to share these characters and their story with readers. However, I soon found myself thinking, so, that’s it? They’re gone? I didn’t have to create scenes for them anymore or come up with their lines or their personality traits. And to be honest, I was sad. I was also relieved, happy, excited, nervous, and the list goes on. It was a mix of emotions. I adore these characters, especially since they are in my first novel. They are the first group of characters that I brought to life in a full, complete published work.

The best way to move on from one book is to jump right into the next one, right? Wrong. For me, anyway. I tried to get started on my next book immediately after I turned in my final draft of True Love Way. I even wrote thirty five thousand words of a young adult novel while I was in the midst of trying to get True Love Way published. But something just wasn’t quite right. I wasn’t connecting with the new characters because I was still too focused on the characters from True Love Way. I hadn’t actually let them go, even though I was sure I had. It was just too soon.  And I think part of me didn’t want to let them go. I wondered if I would find the right mix of characters ever again. I was letting doubt take over. But eventually, in time, I was ready to create again. I cleared my head and to my surprise, when I wasn’t searching for new characters or forcing them, they found me. I’m getting to know a new group and loving them. It’s an exciting journey again, and I can’t wait to see where these new characters go and where the story takes them. I realized that sending characters on their way so they can entertain readers is actually a wonderful part of the publishing process. Hopefully, readers will love them like I do. And who knows? Maybe I’ll revisit the True Love Way characters someday to write a sequel.

Author Bio

Nancy Scrofano is the author of True Love Way and writes book reviews for a prestigious book review magazine. Additionally, she is the founder and managing editor of The Chick Lit Bee, a book blog that promotes and celebrates women’s fiction. Nancy is at work on her next novel. For more information, please visit http://www.nancyscrofano.com.

Well-Heeled Writer Platform

Building a writing platform is an important ingredient in finding success with our craft.  I’m talking more about how we validate our work, answering the question … Why are you the one to write this Mystery/Romance/Family Drama/YA book?  What expertise can you bring to the work?  Take this chair, for instance.  It definitely has “platform” going on.  At the same time, it brings something fresh to the seat genre.  But without that platform, the chair so lacks authority!

Platform is helpful in both fiction and nonfiction, and there are several ways a writer can build one.  Some include holding an MFA.  Are you a lawyer?  Back up the legal thriller you’ve written with that title.  Love to cook?  Parlay that passion into your own unique cookbook.

Authority in a subject does lend credibility to a piece of writing, and can help influence agents, editors, and especially your reading audience.  At the same time it gives you a rich knowledge of wisdom and experience to bring to the page, layering your story with authenticity.

For me, I’ve developed my blog as an extension of my novel Whole Latte Life.  The blog looks at the same questions the book does, that of living our passions, whatever they may be.  I’ve posed questions to my readers, initiated active dialogues in the Comments, and interviewed experts in the arts of music, writing, greeting card design, cooking, and others, to bring their experiences to my readers, and to build my own base of knowledge on the subject.

So think Platform … Consider your education, employment, hobby, expertise, craft, as a shoe-in to building your writing resume.

~Joanne

A review for Joanne’s novel, Whole Latte Life, will be reviewed right here on Chick Lit Plus on Wednesday, so stay tuned and check out the link below.

Guest Post by Rainbow Rowell

As I was working on my first novel, Attachments, I remember reading author blogs and listening to authors talk and always hoping they would reveal some secret that would make all the difference. Some sort of publishing shortcut or insider information or unbeatable writing tip…I don’t think these exist.

Everyone pretty much says the same thing — READ. WRITE. FINISH. (That third one is crucial)

But one piece of advice, which really didn’t have anything to do with writing, really did end up making all the difference personally. I read an interview with Diana Gabaldon, who writes the excellent Outlander series, and she was talking about how she managed to write and work and be a mom. And she said (paraphrasing here) that she stopped caring about cleaning. She forgave herself for not being a great housekeeper.

This idea hit me like three and a half tons of bricks. It seemed so wise — and so freeing!

It’s too much to work full-time and have small kids and write novels. That right there is already too much. Trying to keep up with laundry, too? MADNESS.

I asked myself what my real priorities were. Being a good mom and a good newspaper columnist were important to me. Giving myself a real shot as a novelist was important for me. Making sure that my house was always ready for company…was not.

So I gave myself permission not to clean. (Does that sound radical? It felt radical.)

My husband pinched in a lot. Between the two of us, we kept the house from smelling or changing colors. But we didn’t try to beat back the clutter. We still don’t.

 There are almost always dishes in our sink — we pat ourselves on the back for getting them that far. And I sort my personal laundry on a quarterly basis. (You probably think I’m kidding. I’m not kidding. I have a hundred pairs of socks. I dig out the high-priority stuff, jeans and my favorite nerdy T-shirts, as necessary.)

I’m not exactly proud of our messy house. And it does bother me sometimes … the stacks of shoes by the door, the piles of homework and mail, the dust. But I try to think of everything I’m accomplishing instead.

My first novel is published — it’s real, I can touch it. My second comes out next year and I just finished my first draft of the third. I could never have written these books and stay on top of everything else.

I have plenty of dirty laundry, yes — but no regrets.

Visit Rainbow’s Website!

Guest Post by Lori Verni-Fogarsi

“The Nitty Gritty Process of Being an Author”

By Lori Verni-Fogarsi, author of “Momnesia”

 

What kind of a title is that? For heaven’s sake! It sounds as if being an author is nitty. And gritty! Which it both is and isn’t. The truth is, if your goal is to have strangers read your book and have it be successful, there is far more involved than the pleasure of writing.

Everywhere I go, I meet people that say, “You’re a published author? Omigod! I have a great idea for a novel but can’t get around to writing it!” (This is largely because everyone I come across gets a bookmark foisted on them.) My advice? Just write it. Don’t worry about what you’re going to do with it later. Get your story out of your head and into the computer.

They look at me dubiously. “But how am I going to get it published?” My answer? “If you don’t write it, it can never be published.”

The next step is to be a cruel and brutal monster against your own work. How many words is it? More than 90,000? It’s too long. When I first finished “Momnesia,” it was 130,000 words and rest assured, finding 40,000 words to cut was extremely painful, yet necessary. Along the way, I did my spelling and punctuation corrections, and formatting.

Moving on, it’s time to let someone else mess with your work. And I don’t mean your mother, sister, or husband—not even if they’re an editor. I mean an impartial professional who has no personal stake in your life. Who will tell you if something stinks and praise you if it sings. Who knows that Roller Blades is supposed to be capitalized, and is not afraid to tell you that almost ALL of your parentheses need to be removed. They will identify characters that need development, inconsistencies in the timeline, and redundancies that cause readers to glaze over. Pay them. It’s worth it.

Here is the point where I could easily launch into a series of additional articles: Whether to seek an agent or self-publish, unusual aspects to keep in mind for your book’s cover, the roles of additional professionals, the marketing you’ll have to do. How to make your book stand out as the professional, highly readable work that it is (as opposed to an unedited, too long thing that people may read once but will never recommend).

One of the most common questions people ask is, “How long did the process take?” “Momnesia” took me a year to write, a year to edit, and a year to launch. As of the writing of this article, its success is still to be measured (release date was 3/16/12 in paperback and Kindle). “Everything You Need to Know About House Training Puppies and Adult Dogs” took two years. It was published in 2005 and I still receive a decent royalty check every quarter.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these tips! I invite you to join me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/LoriTheAuthor), and find additional resources on my website, (www.LoriTheAuthor.com). Happy authoring!

P.S: This article was 868 words. Too long! See? I had to edit it to a length that people will have time to read—all 526 words of it! (Um, perhaps still a teeny bit too long.)

Author Site: www.LoriTheAuthor.com

Author Facebook: www.facebook.com/LoriTheAuthor

Author Twitter: www.twitter.com/LoriTheAuthor

Author Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/LoriTheAuthor

Author Blog: http://lorivernifogarsi.blogspot.com
Publisher Site: www.BrickstonePublishing.com

Guest Post by MJ Rose

Researching The Book of Lost Fragrances was a labor of love. One of the most wonderful parts was working with a famous blogger, Dimi of The Sorcery of Scent. He helped me find out about fragrances that have been lost to us and what they smelled like.

I thought it would interesting for us to tell you about some of them.

Guerlain first focused on verveine (verbena) varieties to use in perfumes in the mid-late 1800′s. Eau de Verveine was released first in the 1870′s and made brief reappearances in the 1950s and the 1980s before being retired from Guerlain’s perfume portfolio. Eau de Verveine is the scent of high summer… sharp, uplifting notes of citrus-green lemon verbena flood the mouth with saliva with their crisp, energising aroma. Below is a prickle of something darker – perhaps carnation or clove – which adds incredible depth. There is a dry, tea-like quality that emerges as the scent dries on the skin. This impossibly rare scent evokes feelings of long days at the summer’s end with the chirrup of cicadas ringing in the ears.

The most coveted and rare perfume from the Guerlain portfolio, Djedi was launched in 1926, right on the heels of Howard Carter’s discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb. Presented in a flacon resembling a golden sarcophagus with its lid being raised, Djedi is an exploration into decomposition and decay. Gloomy and desolate, Djedi has a dry, arid quality like the shifting desert sands… a “closed over the ages” feel furnished by dry vetiver, oakmoss, musk, and leather. This olfactory requiem pays hommage to fallen ancient Egyptian dynasties that have been lost to the sands of time.

 COQUE D’OR is an exceptionally beautiful leather chypre created in 1937 by Jacques Guerlain.Soft florals tumble over a buttery leather accord which evoke thoughts of paper-thin hand-made gloves of extraordinary quality. Built over a classic Guerlain chypre base of sandalwood, amber and oakmoss… this perfume is pre-WWII finery at its best. A scent to be worn with cashmere, pearls and soft furs, but sadly one that has been out of production for the last 60 years.

Visit MJ’s website!

See Sara’s review for The Book of Lost Fragrances!

Guest Post by Kathleen Long

Thank you, Samantha, for inviting me to visit Chick Lit Plus today! I’m thrilled to be here.

I spent a lot of time thinking about what I’d like to say, and then I remembered a blog I wrote four years ago in which I said writing is about doing the legwork. Well, four years later, writing is still about doing the legwork, even though much has changed for me during that time.

I took a break from deadlines and promotion to watch my two-year-old grow into a beautiful, funny, and smart six-year-old. I shopped two new series proposals, neither of which sold. After thirteen contracted books, the rejections were tough to swallow, but did they stop me? No.

Writing is about doing the legwork, but it’s also about shifting tactics when you hit a wall. Writing is about coming up with Plan B when Plan A doesn’t work out. It’s about brainstorming Plan C when Plan B falls apart.

Writing is about never saying, “I quit.”

Writing is about believing your dream is worth chasing. It’s about dusting yourself off and trying again each time you face an obstacle in the road. Writing is about reading how-to books, favorite authors, and market news. Writing is about learning pacing, plotting, and story techniques. Writing is about writing—first drafts, second drafts, third drafts, and more. It’s about starting over time after time simply because you refuse to quit, and because the need to write is part of who you are.

Writing is about setting the alarm to wake up two hours before your family to steal time in front of your computer. It’s about staying up far too late—or early—because the story in your head won’t take no for an answer.

Writing is about setting free the words and characters and places in your mind that form so clearly and purely you couldn’t ignore them even if you wanted to. Writing is about creating worlds into which readers might escape for an hour or two or three.

Writing is about accepting that those same worlds won’t appeal to all readers. Some readers will love the story worlds you create. Some readers won’t.

Writing is about believing in your work enough to take the good with the bad. Writing is about moving forward.

What did I do after taking a career break and facing back-to-back rejections? I pulled out the book of my heart—a manuscript my agent liked but didn’t love—and dusted off the story. I watched friends and acquaintances dip their toes into the self-publishing pool, and I thought, “why not?”

I studied the market. I designed a cover. I networked. I planned. I edited and polished. I had my book professionally formatted. Then, when the book was ready, I published.

For me, self-publishing has been a career changer—utterly and completely. CHASING RAINBOWS became a Wall Street Journal and USA TODAY bestseller. I’m about to sign a new two-book women’s fiction contract, even as I make plans to self-publish a new suspense trilogy.

Did I get lucky? Heck, yes!! The self-publishing and e-reader revolution could not have come at a better time for me as an author, but what if I’d stopped after those rejections? What if I hadn’t believed in my story enough to show it to the world?

My parting thought for you all today? No matter whether your goal is New York or Indie publishing…or both, do the legwork.

Believe in yourself. Keep writing.

And never, never quit.

**Everyone who leaves a comment on Kathleen’s tour page will be entered to win a $25 Amazon gift card! If you purchase your copy of Chasing Rainbows before March 12 and send your receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, you will get five bonus entries!**

Connect with Kathleen!

Web: www.kathleenlong.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathleenlong
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/KLWords

Guest Post by RaeAnne Thayne

Punch up the Emotion!

By RaeAnne Thayne

 

Writing a book about an emotional topic without your prose becoming maudlin or overblown can definitely be a challenge – but if you’re able to pull it off, your readers will definitely connect to your characters and your story.

I just finished my 40th book and in the course of my career, I have written about many emotional issues – infertility, the loss of a child, the loss of a spouse. My current release, WOODROSE MOUNTAIN, focuses on a girl who was severely injured in a car accident a few months before the book opens. It’s about healing and hope, about leaning on others and also about some of the difficulties faced by both the victims of TBIs (traumatic brain injuries) and those who love them.

In this book – and all my others – I try to depict my characters facing their adversities with humor and grace, never losing sight of the emotional connection I want my readers to find with my characters. Here’s a quick checklist that might help improve the emotional punch in your writing:

WOW CHARACTERS: Are my characters compelling, vivid, larger-than-life people that my readers can easily relate to? Even if they’re aliens or shapeshifters or demons, do they possess emotional depth that resonates with my readers?

TRUE CONFLICT: Have I created a conflict between my H/H that cannot be resolved without flaying them open, digging deeply into their psyche and exploring their innermost fears and insecurities?

PROPER PACING: Have I paid careful attention to proper pacing, interspersing moments of raw emotion with levity or sweetness or quiet reflection?

DIALOGUE: Have I used dialogue appropriately to best convey my characters’ moods and emotions? Not just what they say but how they say it: Terse, hard words during moments of anger; softer, rounder sentences in times of reflection or quiet sharing?

POINT OF VIEW: Is the point-of-view character I’ve chosen in a given scene the appropriate one to best intensify the emotional arc?

SETTING: Have I truly utilized setting as effectively as possible to enhance the emotions my characters are experiencing? Weather, time of day, physical location: All can be used to reflect the emotional mood.

THE WRITING! Have I “layered in lusciousness” as the fabulous Barbara Samuel so eloquently puts it, by using all sensory tools at my disposal to accentuate my characters’ emotions through texture and scent and color?

LIVE THE EMOTION: Finally, have I been willing to dig as deeply as I can – in my characters’ psyches and in my own – to explore the wide range of feelings inside us all? If I tend to shy away from intense emotions in my life, am I willing to overcome that instinctive self-protective mechanism in order to allow my characters to experience reactions that might personally frighten me?

If you look at your own favorite books, I’m sure you’ll find the selections on your keeper shelf are those books where the emotional intensity of the characters really resonated with you, no matter what the genre.

What tips do you have for heightening the emotional connection your readers can make with your characters?

 

Next Page »