Embracing the Ever-Changing Journey (Mary)

 I don't know if I've ever met a single person who would honestly say "Oh man, I love change!" As humans we're wired to want to stay in the place we're used to (whether that's in terms of the location we live in, our job, etc.), even if it isn't completely ideal, because - well, we're used to it! Sure, it isn't ideal, but if we change things might get worse, so we hang tight.

As writers, we can be the same way about our writing routines. I know I am. When life does its thing and throws changes into my routine or my list of responsibilities or my schedule, it becomes a massive struggle to adapt my writing habits and usually results in me going for weeks or even months without writing as I struggle to hang onto my old routine from the old situation.

And since life rarely stays the same for long, writing has felt like a constant upheaval for many years for me. It's so rare that I actually have the chance to conduct my habits the way I used to, the way I like to.

Back in July I had the privilege of attending the Realm Makers Conference in St. Louis, and while I was there I happened to bump into Allen Arnold, author of The Story of With, and was able to chat with him for a few minutes.

If you've never had the opportunity to do this, I highly recommend that you make an opportunity as soon as possible. Mr. Arnold is one of the most spiritually refreshing people I have ever talked to, and he has a way of just seeming to know exactly where you are in your creative journey, and how to help you get back onto the path if you've tripped into a ditch.

He reminded me that my writing routine today doesn't have to look like it did when I was a twenty-something single, getting up early and writing for hours before work every single day religiously, in order for me to still be productive. Yes, I now have a husband and a baby and we're in the process of buying a house and then we're going to be moving and then I'll have a farm to take care of and then we'll have more kids and then we'll be homeschooling...but I don't have to wait for all of that to go by before I can be productive and serious about my writing.

He reminded me that small steps still get you somewhere. That even if it's years before I can return to the habit of writing for an hour or more every day, it's still worth doing.

"And years from now, when you look back at this time," he said, "I think you're going to be really proud of what you've accomplished."

"Life is chaotic, and we think we have to wait for things to calm down before we're able to create," he continued. "But it's actually just the opposite. When we create, we turn chaos into order. So rather than waiting for the chaos to go away before we create, those chaotic moments are when we need to create the most, to bring order to that situation."

I'll spare you the details of how I burst out ugly crying and all that. Mr. Arnold must be used to that sort of reaction, because he appeared completely unbothered by it and was very gracious.

But since then, I've been focusing on making time to create not just "despite" the chaos of having a one-year-old and trying to buy and house and all of that...but because of it. I'm focusing on embracing the ever-changing journey of creativity and actively looking for ways to adapt, rather than stressing out because I can't find a way to do it the way I used to. When things get hectic and crazy and stressful, I've started looking for opportunities to create - whether it's through writing or crafting or baking - and the difference it makes almost feels worthy of the word "miraculous."

I'm learning that there is so much more joy to be found when we stop obsessing over comfortable campsites and start embracing the joy in the journey.

Writing Life: Are Conferences Really Worth It? (Lauricia)

One of my favorite things to do as a writing professional is to attend writing conferences. I am a true nerd by definition—I love learning or the sake of learning, so much so that I actually cried with sorrow, not joy, when I graduated from college. I love to dip my toe back into the pool of focused learning, and I do it whenever I get the chance. Writing conferences are so much fun for me that I would go just for the atmosphere, if nothing else.

Unfortunately, when it comes to deciding if I should attend a conference or not, there are a few cold, hard facts about life that I can’t escape. Conferences can be expensive, and my budget (like most of yours) is terribly limited. I have a lot of responsibilities—even when I’m not teaching because of school holidays, I still do a lot of planning and preparing; I also have children to feed and raise, a small menagerie of pets to care for, and a house to clean and keep in running order. To top it all off, I am an ambivert with strong introvert tendencies, so it can be painful to place myself in a room full of strangers.

When these reasons are piled all together, I can very easily talk myself out of attending a conference. I can justify just about anything and, if left to my own devices, I can use any of the above factors to prove to myself that attending a writer’s conference is a selfish indulgence on my part—a frivolous extra that I don’t really need, especially since I have to be responsible with my time and money. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Image courtesy of Nikolay Georgiev from Pixabay.

If you are a writer at any level, writing conferences are essential to your career. Here’s why:

Continued learning about the craft of writing - If you are a new writer, it seems abundantly clear why you need to attend a conference: the classes you can take to learn how to master a skill, or to learn about an aspect of the industry, make the cost worthwhile many times over. However, even multi-published authors can benefit. As a teacher I am required to obtain a certain amount of continuing education each year, in order to improve my skills and to ensure I continue to provide my students with a quality education. Many other professions require the same thing. It is no different for a writer; there is always something new to learn. Even if you’ve mastered a given technique, listening to someone else teach that technique may lead to fresh insight, which could breathe new life into your next work.

The chance to meet with agents and editors - Most conferences offer the opportunity for writers to meet face-to-face with, and pitch their work to, agents and editors. More and more of these industry professionals only obtain new clients through appointments at conferences, so attending a conference can be crucial for the advancement of your career. These one-on-one meetings also come with a bonus: feedback. Instead of receiving a bland standard manuscript rejection, most agents and editors will not only tell you why your project is not right for them but will also provide insight into how you can improve.

What if you’re independently published? Instead of conferencing with agents and editors, you can connect with other authors who are independently published and learn what works and what not to do from their experiences.

The opportunity to build a tribe - Another extremely valuable aspect of writing conferences is networking—getting to know people in the industry as individuals. I love the experience of sitting next to someone in a session, striking up a conversation, and really connecting on an individual level only to find out later that he is an agent from such-and-such literary agency, or she is an editor with some major publishing house, or they are both New York Times bestselling authors. These personal connections, where I am not asking anything of anyone but am rather focused on building honest relationships, are my favorite aspect of writing conferences, especially when they deepen into friendships. This is what networking is all about, and it is not something you can do very well in the comfort of your own home.

While summer seems to be the height of conference season, there are a variety of writer’s conferences happening at all times of the year, and all around the world. If you are at a spot in your writing where you don’t know how to move forward, I recommend you find a conference that fits your needs and budget and sign up. (If you're looking for a conference to start with, I'm a huge fan of Realm Makers). For those of you who are at a good spot in your writing right now, attending a conference can still be a significant investment in your career.

What do you guys think? Are there any conferences you just can’t live without? Or are there any other reasons you can think of why attending conferences is an essential rather than a luxury? I’d love to hear your observations and remarks in the comments section below.

This post originally appeared on Lauricia-Matuska.com on 28 July 2017.

What to do with Your Story Idea: Enlisting Alpha Readers (Writing Life, Lauricia)

Greetings and welcome back to my series about what to do with the awesome story idea you have. If you are here for the first time, this is part seven in a ten-part series. You can find the full list of recommended steps at the end of today’s blog, with links to the other parts of the series that have already been written.

If you have been following the series, welcome back! Today we are going to discuss one of my favorite elements of the series: enlisting alpha readers.

Although writing is, at heart, a solitary endeavor, every writer needs the feedback of others. In order for this feedback to be helpful, it must be genuine, truthful, and gently spoken. We writers have sensitive skins, after all. The best way to obtain this kind of feedback is through a system of alpha and (later) beta readers.

Alpha readers are the first people to see your finished, as-polished-as-you-can-get-it story. Polishing is important, because these readers are not intended to read your first, second, or even third draft. Their sole purpose is to give you feedback on the story, to tell you about whether or not it has the spark of life that makes it finished.

I’ve found the best alpha readers to be supportive friends who are genuinely interested in your writing. Currently, I am lucky to have three of these, and I find that to be just enough. When recruiting your alpha readers, you want people who will tell you hard truths, but speak them to you gently. These people need to be bold enough to tell you where your story needs work and kind enough to tell this to you in a way that doesn’t hurt too much. (There will always be some pain; make your peace with that now. After all, it’s better for your friend to tell you that your story needs work than for an editor or reader to reject that story because it needs work.)

Once you have a handful of victims… I mean, friends… who are willing to do you this necessary service, make sure to give them a few simple guidelines. Don’t underestimate the importance of the words “few” and “simple”. Too many guidelines, and the readers will get lost. Also, your alpha readers are not often industry professionals, so you want them to spot easy things. I ask my alpha readers to write on the manuscript I provide for them (which I print out, because I process better on paper), marking where they got bored, where their attention drifted off, or where they found something they simply didn’t like. I also ask them to point out the elements they do like, so I don’t accidentally dispose of those elements during the revision process. I make this request in a thank you letter that I put at the very front of the manuscript, which I provide for each readers in a personal three-ring binder.

After my readers return the manuscripts, I offer to take them out for coffee (or pizza, or wine, depending upon their individual preferences), and I ask them to tell me about the book. Of course, since they are my friends, this is only part of the conversation, but I want to make sure they know that I appreciate their time and energy (hence the treat) and value their opinions (hence the discussion). Somewhere in the middle of our time together, I ask them what they thought about the story over all, then I let them lead the conversation where they will, only asking for clarification or prompting the conversation when it stalls. I make sure not to rush through this part, but I don’t linger here, either. After all, I could talk about my book for longer than anyone else, and I don’t want to turn this experience into a chore for those who are helping me.

Once I receive my alpha reader’s manuscripts, I read all of the comments, consider each one carefully, and note those that I’m going to use on my master revision copy. After all of my revisions are made and the story is once again as close to perfect as I can get it, I repeat this process with a larger, different group of beta readers. If I’ve written my story well, the feedback of my beta readers with require minimal tweaking of the manuscript, and soon I have a polished product ready to submit to the publisher.

Although this step in the process may seem simple, I urge you not to overlook it. Potential agents and editors have a lot of submissions to work through, and one of the easiest ways to make your work stand out to them is by submitting a nearly-flawless manuscript.

Do you use alpha and/or beta readers in your writing process? If so, what kind of results have you had? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below.

---------------------------------------------------------- 

As promised above, here's the complete list of what to do with your story idea:

1. Write down everything you know about the story idea. Keep writing until you can’t think of anything to add. (Read more here.)

2. When you’re not writing, work on your social media platform.  Develop your on-line presence authentically, in a way that is genuine. (Read more here.)

3. Go back to your idea. Organize everything you wrote in step one into something with structure and shape. Turn that collection of ideas into a plan and begin your first draft. (Read more here.)

4. Start a website. A blog is good because it gives readers a taste of your writing, but if you feel that you can’t commit to a blog, then you need to have a website at the very least. (Read more here.)

5. Edit your first draft. Complete this step as often as necessary. (Read more here.)

6. Start an e-mail list. (Read more here.)

7. Enlist alpha readers who will give you story feedback.

8. Once your book is as polished as you can get it, enlist someone else to edit it.

9. Decide how you want to publish (indie or traditional) and study the process. Learning the necessary details will save you a lot of time and, potentially, a lot of money in the long run.

10. Start the next story!

What Readers Want (and Don’t Want) in a Second Novel in a Series (Lizzie)

Book 2’s make me nervous. The more I like book 1, the more nervous book 2 makes me. What if I don’t like it and lose pleasure in book 1 and lose book 3 entirely? It’s rough to want to like a book or author and find you just can’t. 

There's been more than one series where I’ve loved book 1, but book 2 stopped me from completing the series, and even from reading anything else by that author. I experienced this unfortunate trauma a little while back, and it got me thinking about what I, as a reader, want and don’t want in a second novel and how that should affect me as a writer.

First, it forced to think about what I loved about the first story. Was it the characters? The developing relationships? The overall plot? The action and adventure? The milieu? The writer’s voice and story genre? The combination of all of those?

For me, it’s usually the characters and their relationships that is the strongest drive to book 2. I like the action, adventure, and mystery, and I trust the author to deliver that same kind of thing in book 2, with similar style, tone, and humor. But the characters are the strongest draw. And not just the main characters. Secondary characters are magnetic as well. Basically, I want to see all my favorite characters interacting in book 2. I want to know the fate of some character left in danger. I want to understand some mystery regarding this or that character. I want the hero and heroine to end up together, and those lovable secondary characters to have their relationships resolved happily. I want the redeemable character redeemed. 

In short, the draw to a second and third book, for me, is usually not the ultimate destruction of the villain or the fulfillment of a quest, it’s the characters. So you might say what drives the reader is not the same as what drives the main characters. The reader and MC may have different goals, and the author must satisfy both.

Taking those things into consideration, I came up with seven things that readers don’t want in a second novel.

What readers don’t want is for a second novel to

1) Lose sight of the character interactions

Too often the rich characters we came to love in book 1 are scattered in book two. Or the relationships are tainted by drama that often seems forced. In epic fantasies, like LOTR and Patrick Carr’s novels, and movies like The Avengers, the separation of characters is often necessary, but even then, some of the characters are kept together to give us those beloved interactions.

 

Character interactions are done right in this fantastic series.

I’ve been reading W.R. Gingell’s A City Between books lately (and loving them). One of the things I love about the story series is the characters: the MC Pet, her three “owners,” and the two secondary characters Detective Tuatu and Daniel. Granted, Gingell has small character list in this series, but she consistently develops the relationships between the main four characters over the series, and keeps us connected to the two secondary characters even if they have little page time. For instance, we don’t see Detective Tuatu very much after the first chapter of the third book, but there are mentions of him and humorous text message exchanges that keep him “alive” to me as a reader and keep me happy. There are valid reasons for him not being “on page” a lot too, which is important. Also, the interactions between the books' characters also change over time as relationships deepen. Like this series, the Harry Potter series, The Avengers, and many other successful series actively keep their characters interacting and relationships developing. Even James Bond has a few consistent secondary characters to interact with at headquarters over the course of his many adventures.

On the other hand, in that recent read that traumatized me, the main character rescues her mother (who she had thought dead) in book 1. You’d think the mom would be a big part of book 2. No. She’s mentioned every now and then, but there’s little effort at connection between her and the MC and only a shallow excuse for this. Hardly any of the characters from book 1 get more than slight mentions, and they were a big part of what made me want to read book 2. Because of the virtual loss of the first book's relationships and development of a second set of secondary characters, the second book felt like it should have been different character’s story altogether. Another character-interaction fail for me was Star Wars: The Last Jedi (reviewed here). I assumed the characters from the previous movie would form a team and go on fun adventures together. I was looking forward to that. No. They hardly interacted at all.

2) Add in soap opera drama and character immaturity

Can’t have the main couple getting together too early in the series, now can we? So let’s manufacture some drama—based on a silly misunderstanding—to keep them apart. Actually, please don’t. Don’t have your characters acting in immature, unhealthy ways just to create drama and push the HEA off to book 3. If these behaviors are part of their character arc and they are going to grow out of them, sure, but if not, please spare us. You can find a better way to add tension to the relationship or to the story overall. And consider a more original drama that family secrets involving affairs and unknown siblings. I stopped reading one teen series mostly because, well, it became a very teen series. Cliché romance scenes. Unexpected parental indiscretions. Immature, what-were-you-thinking decisions by a character previously pretty sensible. Haven’t read a book by that author since.

3) Change tone, especially from semi-light to very dark

The story arc of an epic fantasy probably requires going a bit darker in the second book, but readers don’t like it overdone. Give the readers some hope and humor, especially if that is part of your first story and brand. You want your readers to trust you so they’ll stick around for other books. Go too dark, or throw in sensitive scenes they weren’t expecting (like rape or the death of a beloved character or a whole bunch of characters when the first story is pretty light in tone) may be a turn off.

4) Have a lot of traveling to boring places

Questing or running for your life or moving an entire populace is fairly common in second books (and third books), at least judging by my experience. This is more of an observation than a critique. If the readers love the milieu, if it’s a quest type of novel, this is probably a great choice. New places can be fascinating, especially if there is a mystery attached to them. Patrick Carr’s The Hero’s Lot (The Sword and the Staff) is a great example of well-done traveling and an exciting, mysterious new place. I honestly did not care much for the hero’s love interest in this book (I liked her much better in the third), but I loved the mystery of the hidden kingdom the second main POV character stumbles across. I read the third book, and books two and three in this series helped pull me through to book three in Carr’s Darkwater Saga series. I struggled with its second book, A Shattered Vigil, because of the darkness, death, and off-screen rape of a secondary character, but I’m glad I continued on with the third book, which was lighter in tone.

 

I loved the travels in this second novel.

On the other hand, traveling through a fog for ninety pages with arguing characters, random attacks, and visions of disturbing drama at home, is not something I remember with enjoyment from a different series. That, coupled with the very teenage-ish drama that surfaced, induced me to close the book at its end and not move forward with series.

5) Shift to political intrigue and quarreling among friends

Is your typical reader likely to purchase a first book in a series because of an interest in political intrigue or quarrels among friends? If not, then take that into consideration before making that the focus of book 2.

6) Move at a faster pace at the expense of character interaction

Again, action is good but relationships trump action. Find a way to combine them. In Avengers: Infinity War, Captain America and Thor take a breather in the battle to comment on one another’s hair. It’s not much, but it’s humorous and is a connection between two characters who haven’t seen one another in a while.

7) Trick the readers, such as by changing the love interest or undoing some victory or expectation set up in the first story

Book 2: The peace is ruined and the hero must return. That can be okay. What’s not okay, in my opinion, is having the victory of book 1 be worse than pointless. If the “victory” actually sets up a much worse ruler and book 2 opens with near total destruction of a world we loved, readers are going to be sad and feel deceived. Especially if we aren’t expecting that level of destruction from the story at all. Watch the story tone.

Also, what’s definitely not okay is changing the love interest mid-series. Especially if that’s a strong theme in the book. Romantics don’t like that. We don’t like rooting for a couple for a book and half only to discover we’ve been duped. Readers don’t like to be tricked. If we find out the romance we’ve been hoping for for a book and a half would be incestuous, because, oh yeah, that guy is actually her brother (good thing they never kissed, right?) and we had no clues to that effect, readers are going to very, very mad.

So, in short, figure out what your readers loved about your first book and stuff the second full of it. (Hint: that will likely include fun character interactions.)

"A Blundering of Blue Sparkles" (Curse and Consequence Blog Tour)

We are so excited to welcome Savannah Jezowski to Lands Uncharted today as part of her Curse and Consequence Blog Tour! My path first crossed with Savannah when we both had stories published in the Mythical Doorways anthology, and when I heard her latest book described as "Jane Austen meets dragons," I just had to know more! I'll share all the details about Curse and Consequence and the blog tour below, but first here's Savannah telling us about the magic system in her story! Enjoy!

The warm glow continued until only a thin strand of blue sparkles coiled around Hugh, like a weak chain desperately fighting to keep him contained.

(Excerpt from Curse and Consequence) 

Magic has fascinated readers for generations.

I am no exception. I grew up watching Disney fairy tales and reading classics by C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Diana Wynne Jones, Gail Carson Levine, and Lloyd Alexander. I loved the feeling of being myself enchanted as I entered these fantastical worlds filled with magic rings and oracular pigs.

Magic can be tricky to write, because it has to make sense within your story world. It needs to have its own rules and boundaries, or else it comes across as trite and too convenient. You also have to decide what your magic will look like: is it all smoke and shadows? Lightning strikes and flashes of light? Is it invisible? What does it sound like? What does it smell like? How is it conjured? By a snap of the fingers? A magic wand? A thought?

For my story, I decided to go with sparkles and glowing lights. My design clients will tell you that I love sparkles—they’re so shiny and sparkly and make everything more exciting. For my light-hearted, humorous tale, sparkly just seemed to make sense. I didn’t want anything too grim or sinister.

When I set out to design the magical system in Curse and Consequence, I also wanted something a little more complicated than Girl Touches a Magic Spindle and Boy Saves Her with a True Love’s Kiss. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…but I love character driven stories. I love personality conflicts and misunderstandings, and I wanted my story world to reflect this.

In Curse and Consequence, like many fairy tales, you’ll find the basic curse that needs breaking, as well as the spiteful soul who casts the spell—in this case, a greedy faery. Unlike many story worlds, however, such as Harry Potter or Howl’s Moving Castle, you won’t find any magic wands or complicated spells. You won’t find magical orbs or pools of enchanted water.

There are no oracular pigs.

The magical system in Dragonshire is more genetic in nature: only those with faery heritage possess it. It’s not something that can be learned or obtained through a magical object like a talisman. Either you have it, or you don’t.

Most importantly, magic is directly related to the emotions and thoughts of the characters.

Is it the kiss that breaks the curse or actually the intentions behind the kiss? Similarly, is it the caster or the emotion driving the curse that truly matters in the end?

(Excerpt from Curse and Consequence) 

It’s difficult to say much more on this subject without giving away awful SPOILERS. I should probably just tell you that curses affected by the intents of the heart are much more difficult to break than one that simply requires two bat wings and the essence of a unicorn.

You can’t just go to the faery supermarket and buy yourself a remedy.

So if you decide to visit Dragonshire in the near future, just don’t run amuck of any faery curses.

They’re terribly complicated to get out of.


Thank you so much for sharing with us, Savannah! Doesn't Curse and Consequence sound like fun? Here's the back cover blurb:

When Love visits Ravenhead Hall, sparks fly…quite literally.

Miss Rea Abernathy only wants to honor the family who has taken her under their wing, rescuing her from a life of poverty. But thanks to two determined suitors, she finds herself in a state far worse than the one from which her benefactress saved her.

When Mr. Sedgwick Whitby sets his sights on his mother’s sweet-tempered pig keeper, his orderly life is thrown into chaos: Rea’s station is less–than-desirable, and another gentleman may be pursuing her. Hoping to get his annoyingly charming twin brother out of the way, Sedgwick purchases a simple curse from a disreputable faery which consequently plunges them all into a misfortune far more serious than troubles of the heart.

With time running out to break the curse and tempers flying high, can Sedgwick and Rea set things right and find love after all? Jane Austen meets dragons in this frolicking fantasy romance about a comely pig keeper, two wealthy gentlemen, and the curse binding them all together. Perfect for fans of Diana Wynne Jones and Gail Carson Levine.




I love it! You can find Curse and Consequence on Amazon and Goodreads. And here's a little more about the author:

Savannah Jezowski lives in Amish country with her Knight in Shining Armor and a wee warrior princess. She is the founder of Dragonpen Designs and Dragonpen Press, which offers author services such as cover design, developmental edits, and interior formatting. Her debut novella “Wither” is featured in Five Enchanted Roses, an anthology of Beauty and the Beast, and is a prequel to The Neverway Chronicles, a Christian fantasy series filled with tragic heroes and the living dead. She is also the author of When Ravens Fall, a Norse Beauty and the Beast retelling. She is featured in several Fellowship of Fantasy anthologies, including Mythical Doorways, Tales of Ever After, and Paws, Claws, and Magic Tales. When she isn’t writing, Savannah likes to read books, watch BBC miniseries, and play with cover design. She also enjoys having tea with her imaginary friends.




You can connect with Savannah on her website, newsletter, Facebook page, Facebook group, Twitter, and Amazon author page. Make sure to catch the rest of the blog tour stops! Here's the full schedule:


Monday, June 1st

- Katherine Brown Books: Book Review
- C O Bonham: Book Review
- Beka Gremikova: Book Review & Book Excerpt


Tuesday, July 2nd

- Jessica Belmont: Book Review
- Lands Uncharted: Guest Post on Magic
- The L. Palmer Chronicles: Guest Post on Themes of Curse and Consequence


Wednesday, July 3rd

- Paper, Ink, Lizard: Book Review
- Baroness’ Book Trove: Book Review


Thursday, July 4th

- She Hearts Fiction: Guest Post on Themes of Curse and Consequence & Book Review
- Flowers of Quiet Happiness: Book Review


Friday, July 5th

- Annie Louise Twitchell: Book Review
- Selina J. Eckert: Book Spotlight
- Kyle Robert Shultz: Book Review & Author Interview
- Pooled Ink: Book Review


Saturday, July 6th

- The Rustic Reading Gal: Book Spotlight
- Bold Reads: Book Review & Book Excerpt


Sunday, July 7th

- Unicorn Quester: Blog Tour Wrap-Up

What to do with Your Story Idea: Start a Website (Lauricia, Writing Life)

A few Writer's Life posts ago, I began a series addressing the question that I receive the most: What do I do with my story idea. In the first installments of this multi-part answer, I talked about writing down everything you know about the idea, beginning a social media presence, and giving structure to your story. (If you are new to this series, or would like a recap of the full answer, please refer to a complete list of the steps in brief at the end of this post.)

Assuming you’ve been with me for the previous steps, now that you’ve completed step one and are implementing steps two and three, it’s time to consider step four: building your outreach as an author.

Marketing strategies and trends change quickly, but whatever the fad currently in vogue, one thing remains constant: the dominant necessity of an online presence. Once you are an established author, a website devoted entirely to you will be the essential location for your readers to go to in order to find all they want or need. This includes writing samples, a publicity calendar, pages featuring your books, a calendar tracking progress on your current work… whatever you want your fans to know, you can feature in one venue which you control completely.

But why start now, before you’re published and while you have little content or news to promote? The answer is because the best websites are richly developed, and that kind of development takes time. It will be a while before you find exactly what formatting, structure, and types of content work best for you, and the ideal time to experiment with these things is now, before you become widely known. Added bonus: all of that experimentation will build an abundance of content that will, in turn, offer a richer experience to your future visitors.

With that in mind, you need to start by finding a website server. There are so many hosting options available that I couldn’t possibly list them here. A good way to begin your quest is to go to your search engine of choice with the phrase “servers for author websites.” You can also ask authors you know for their favorites, or ask any one of us here at Lands Uncharted. A caveat about free website hosts: make sure the free package can grow with you. It will be a confusing pain in the neck to transfer all of your content to another provider who provides you more space. If you can afford to pay for your site now, I recommend that you do.

The next thing you must do is decide on content. As a new author, this can be daunting. What does one post when one has little to nothing published? The answer to this is, perhaps ironically, to focus on content marketing.

Photo courtesy of FirmBee from Pixabay

Content marketing involves creating and sharing material that stimulates interest in your product; in this case, your writing. So your blog should showcase your writing in a way that advances your brand (basically, who you are as a writer). A good way to do this is through your love of story. Post book reviews of reads you love, recommendations or reviews about other forms of story (like movies or shows) or genre-related content (such as recipes for Amish romances or role-playing games for epic fantasies). You can also include notes about the research you do for your story, character sketches, backstory, deleted scenes, and even select snippets from the current draft of your book. A great blog to visit in order to find more inspiration in this area is Jane Friedman’s authors' blog (note: all links are non-affiliate). The key here is to remember that whatever you blog bout, it should be with the express purpose of drawing readers to you as an author of stories they need.

The rest of your website content will grow and change as your author career progresses. A fabulous resource regarding what to start with is the Novel Marketing podcast, episode 156: Six Things Readers are Looking for on Your Website.

As always, everything discussed here is merely one way to get started. This topic is so broad that I can’t possibly address all of the nuances here. Don’t be discouraged, though! There’s lots of good help out there in the social media world, and we’re all in this together.

I’d love to know: Do you visit author websites? If so, why? What do you hope to find?

----------------------------------------------------- 

As promised earlier, the complete list of what to do with your story idea:

1. Write down everything you know about the story idea. Keep writing until you can’t think of anything to add. (Click to read more.)

2. When you’re not writing, work on your social media platform.  Develop your on-line presence authentically, in a way that is genuine. (Click to read more.)

3. Go back to your idea. Organize everything you wrote in step one into something with structure and shape. Turn that collection of ideas into a plan and begin your first draft. (Click to read more.)

4. Start a website. A blog is good because it gives readers a taste of your writing, but if you feel that you can’t commit to a blog, then you need to have a website at the very least.

5. Edit your first draft. Complete this step as often as necessary.

6. Start an e-mail list.

7. Enlist alpha readers who will give you story feedback.

8. Once your book is as polished as you can get it, enlist someone else to edit it.

9. Decide how you want to publish (indie or traditional) and study the process. Learning the necessary details will save you a lot of time and, potentially, a lot of money in the long run.

10. Start the next story!

7 Ways to Improve Creativity (Lizzie)

In Julie's recent post Calling All Dragon Lovers, she talked about how creative author Brandon Mull is and how she struggles to be more creative in her own writing. I've been challenged to be more creative in a steampunk short story series I'm working on as well, so I thought it would be good to use this Writing Life post to talk about ways to be more creative. So here are some thoughts and suggestions on ramping up the creative juices and improving your stories.

1. Create a Creative Mindset

The first step in being more creative is really just to remember to be creative. It's easy to use a trope or simply not push yourself to use a talking sorting hat to determine which house students belong to in your fantasy novel set at a boarding school for wizards when students could simply draw numbers. There are everyday events in your story (like getting mail) and grand events (like being put in your house or getting a weapon at a crucial moment). You have to constantly ask if these events can or should be ordinary or creative. Not every story needs an owl delivering mail or a talking sorting hat, but somewhere, sometime, you will need to solve a problem using a creative method or just interject a creative version of an everyday activity. Keep that in mind. That's great, you say, but how do I get those creative ideas? Well...

Harry Potter and the Sorting Hat

2. Read widely 

Reading a variety of genres is always good because it expands your range of abilities. Reading mysteries (and contemplating how a good mystery is told), allows you to build mystery and suspense into your fantasy, for instance. But it also introduces you to new ideas and settings. Don't just read teen or adult. Read middle grade fantasy. These authors are very creative and use all kinds of wild and silly ideas that adult books don't (the suspension of disbelief and tolerance of silliness is less, I think, in adults, so creativity is inherently greater in children's books). Don't just read fiction. Read non-fiction. My WIP, a steampunk series, was inspired partly by a book about longitude. Really? Yes. Dava Sobel's book Longitude about the development of the sea clock for the accurate determination of longitude at sea was fascinating (and involving personal stories, drama, sailors lost at sea, a race to win a grand prize, and more). The idea that people didn't have the technology to know where they were (at least at sea, where it's easy to miss that little island with the water you desperately need) until only a couple of hundred years ago blew my mind. And got me to wondering what a world without the ability to navigate would be like.

3. Read widely and read mythology and history

Yes, the repetition was intentional. Don't just read new fiction. Read mythology and history. The ancient weren't short on wild and crazy ideas. And history can be almost as crazy as fantasy. I thought J.K. Rowling and Tolkien were extremely, unbelievably creative until I learned more about mythology and Old English literature and history. A lot of their ideas, I discovered, aren't brand spanking new; they are simply either new to me or repackaged in a way that makes them seem new. Middle-earth? It's an Old English keening (compound metaphor) used in Caedmon's Hymn and probably other works. The moon runes in the dwarf's map in The Hobbit? Anglo-Saxon futhorc. Not really new. And that's okay. A phoenix and basilisk? Not new either. "There's nothing new under the sun," so it's no shame to re-purpose old ideas and no discredit Tolkien and Rowling at all.

Study other cultures. What's new and fascinating to one person may be everyday life or a familiar story to someone else. Boarding schools are rare in my corner of the world, so setting at story at a boarding school made Harry Potter unique even without magic (boarding school stories are no longer unique, so be careful). You never know what aspect of another culture might be useful directly or spur an idea that ups the creativity of your story.

4. Ask questions

This really goes back to number one. How can I make this more creative? How can I make the receiving of mail a magical event? What if people couldn't navigate for themselves? If a faerie curse prevented navigation, how far could they go before getting lost? How I can put fear of spiders into my story in an unforgettable way? What if...? How could...?

5. Make old things new (and unexpected)

Is a bird delivering a message really new? No. Carrier pigeons, anyone? But using an owl as a post man to a boarding school is new. We've already said that a phoenix isn't new, but a phoenix in a headmaster's rooms is new (and unexpected), as is a phoenix (so far as I know) delivering a hat with a sword in it. Putting old things in a new setting, combining them, using them in new ways, altering them a bit (like Rowling altered the mythological basilisk) are ways to increase creativity, partly because it's unexpected.

From wikipedia: "The basilisk and the weasel, in a print attributed to Wenceslas Hollar. The cockatrice (pictured) became seen as synonymous with the basilisk when the "basiliscus" in Bartholomeus Anglicus' De proprietatibus rerum (ca 1260) was translated by John Trevisa as "cockatrice" (1397).[4] A basilisk, however, is usually depicted without wings." So basilisks varied a good bit in mythology, and J.K. Rowling added her own version in the Harry Potter novels.

6. Make the most of your story world (and forego tropes)

An author friend (I won't give her name so as not to risk any spoilers) recently asked about how to get her main character information from a dead character. The tropes are to have the character find a letter from the dead character, have a seance, or have someone else tell the main character. I recommended she find something that fit her story world. J.K. Rowling used magical memory storage balls to get a character needed information. It fit her world and was really cool. If you write fantasy, then you have the option to come up with amazing things--and just knowing to ask the question, being willing to challenge yourself, will usually lead to the answer. So recognize tropes and keep seeking new solutions until you come up with a fresh idea. Remember you're writing in a fantasy world!

7. Create limitations that must be overcome 

This one is great for adding tension to the story as well. In The Rose and the Wand, I introduce a traveling ring. It lets Giles travel instantly wherever he likes (by the way, the idea actually came from a version of the original fairy tale--Beast gives it to Belle so she can go home to visit her family and return to him--and I tweaked it to fit my story). Marcel, in To Catch a Magic Thief, has the mate to Giles's ring. But allowing Marcel to go wherever he wants, whenever he wants is not good for story tension! He needs to be stuck in dangerous situations, and unable to easily rescue Gabriella, so I had to put limitations on the ring. It only carries one person and no luggage (he can't escape with Gabriella in tow); it won't take him anywhere if he doesn't know where he is; it won't take him to a place he's never been. Putting limitations on the ring not only makes it unique, but raises situations that challenge me. I have to find a new ways for Marcel to escape. That challenge, that question of "how will he escape?" will stimulate me to come up with a solution that isn't expected. I also give the ring another attribute, but it would be a spoiler to share it, but remember you can add other attribute to an object to make it unique.


That's a lot of information! Thanks for hanging on to the end. In summary, read widely to fill your creative wellspring and remember to challenge yourself to be creative.

Do you have any other suggestions?