June 4, 2008
(Note: This post was originally published at All Freelance Writing.)
Today was the third day of experimenting with the First Draft in 30 Days program for drafting / outlining a novel (as discussed in this post). I’d already mapped out the basics of my characters and settings. Today was about the plot.
While I had the main plot pretty much in mind, this step was good for me. It made me think a bit more about the climax and, more importantly, my subplots. I realized I didn’t have quite enough of them, but was able to flesh it out a bit today, and I’m pretty confident that I’ll have enough going on to keep things interesting now.
The next two days will be my first days of doing any free form writing - mostly laying out the beginning summary-style. I’m really hoping to get that done in just one day so I can get ahead of the game though (to leave myself an extra research day if I might need it, or to simply finish in less than 30 days if that’s possible).
EDIT: I did end up spending some extra time in the evening on the next step, and actually did the work required for days 4, 5, and 6 of the plan. It essentially involved me doing free-form scene-by-scene outlining for all scenes already planned, and making notes of areas where scenes need to be added later and such (since some of it obviously depends on research).
It took longer than other aspects, but once I started typing I didn’t want to stop until it was finished. It only amounted to about six pages single-spaced of actual content, and plenty will get filled in with the research phase.
I did realize that I need to find a way to break up some of the natural repetitiveness necessary for the particular story throughout the middle of the book, so I may end up adding another subplot or two to explore some other things to keep it fresher - just not sure what they should be yet to stay in line with the primary story goal(s).
Anyway, that’s the progress update. Fun stuff. I’m not sure if I’ll use those three extra days I’ve just accumulated for more research, or if I’ll save them for another portion of the program where I may need more time later, or if I’ll simply finish things up a bit faster than 30 days. Either way, I’m glad I have some wiggle room.
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June 4, 2008
(Note: This post was originally published at All Freelance Writing.)
Well, I haven’t given up on this first novel project after just one day, so that’s progress. Yesterday I had to think about characters. Today I had to start thinking more about settings, and the things I’ll need to research soon to flesh out the story as accurately as possible.
I’d already been keeping a little research list whenever ideas popped into my head, so that was easy. I think the one issue I faced was with settings - much of that involves me doing research (which I haven’t gotten to yet), so the setting notes I jotted down are rather vague for now.
While I’m not giving away plot details, I will share a bit about the settings and things I’ll be researching:
Settings
There will be two primary settings: the bar at a club in Philly and two neighboring apartments in one of the nearby but quiet city suburbs. This is actually the area where I live. I chose it partly for that reason (less research, I know more about the locals, etc.) and partly because some of our area details are actually perfect for the subtler plot points in the story.
Research
I can’t give away all of the things I’ll be researching, because it would give away story points. But here are a few of the things I’ll be looking into:
- Bartending
- Local wildlife in our suburbs
- Small concealable knives (especially something fitting for a woman)
- Diabetes (from insulin shots to food choices)
- Female superheros (and no, the book doesn’t involve them - it’s something I need to research for a very tiny piece of dialog from a child)
- Violence in Christian history
- Polish immigration to the US after WWII
- Psychological issues and reactions such as reactions to severe remorse, how fears are instilled through brainwashing or traditions, the thought process / justifications people have for killing, etc.
- How blood is drawn and stored (such as for a blood drive)
- Bar / club interiors (perhaps some first-hand research is in order!)
- Philly murder and other violent crime rates (we’re generally pretty bad)
Keeping the Story Fresh
Yesterday I think I mentioned how it can feel like the story is playing in my mind like a movie. This isn’t the first time that’s happened. When I was working on my last novel outline (which I’ll be using to draft a book when these two outlines are completed), the same thing happened.
I was able to use that to not only keep the story fresh on my mind (hard to forget when you can literally visualize it), but I was able to pull up certain plot points “on demand.” I did that by essentially creating a running soundtrack for the book (helped that I was working with musicians more at that time). So I would associate certain scenes with certain songs, and when I wanted to work on something, I would simply listen to the song to be able to separate the scene I was dealing with mentally.
I haven’t done the soundtrack thing for this story yet, but considering the fact that I have most of the plot (even if not most of the individual scenes) laid out in my mind already, I think I may need to soon do that. Has anyone else done something like that when working on fiction, or am I just nuts?
And that’s all for today folks. Tomorrow I start briefly laying out the main plot points (most of which I already have in mind). Perhaps at some point soon after that I’ll run the overall concept by someone else privately for feedback and input.
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June 4, 2008
(Note: This post was originally published at All Freelance Writing.)
As mentioned in a previous post, during June I will be outlining / drafting one new concept for a novel, based on the book First Draft in 30 Days, and then in July (or a little later if I don’t follow 30 consecutive days with the first test) I will be doing the same for a second novel using the method prescribed in Book in a Month (read my review of both books).
Today was the first of my 30 days dedicated to the first book. While I’m not willing to share plot and character details, I will say that it’s going to be a dark piece, falling somewhere between horror and psychological thriller.
I’m really excited to be starting on this one. I had two book concepts already in mind. I decided that the two would be better combined into a single book (I’d chosen two ideas that could realistically belong to the same series for the sake of testing the drafting programs with similar works). They’ll both be dark, but I think that’s pretty much the only similarity.
The idea for the one I’m starting on now actually came to me very suddenly on Friday night. A general idea popped into my head. I grabbed a large index card and a pen, and started jotting it down (so I wouldn’t forget). More came to mind. A story started playing in my mind almost like a movie - a new twist on an old genre, and characters I think I can have fun with.
Anyway, today I fleshed out the three primary characters for the novel. As much as I know I need to get this preliminary stuff out of the way, I’m actually itching to layout more of the plot (although I’m jotting down any bits of dialouge or scene info that comes to mind as the thoughts develop - that just seems the natural thing to do no matter what I’m supposed to be focusing on any given day).
I have the opening scene set almost word for word in my notes already, and even the ending as it’s currently planned. If I enjoy working on it enough (and I stay passionate enough about the project), I may actually take it beyond this initial outline / rough draft and try my hand at pitching a novel. At this point, only time will tell I suppose. I don’t pretend that fiction is my strongest suit, and I don’t know if I’ll be any good at it. One way to find out though, right?
Other than that, I also re-created the worksheets I would need over the next few days in my word processor, so I could create printouts (photocopying just didn’t take very good advantage of the page size). This works, b/c it also allows me to add or subtract elements to make them better work for me.
So here we go. On to day two!
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June 4, 2008
(Note: This post was originally published at AllFreelanceWriting.com.)
I mentioned previously that I would be reviewing two similar books here on a topic we don’t talk about much - writing a novel. In the case of these two books, both promise to teach you how to write a first draft of your novel in just 30 days.
Why Talk About Novel Writing on a Freelance Writing Blog?
- There’s nothing to say that freelance writers have to focus on non-fiction.
- These books aim to help us target larger writing projects (and offer a lot of tips that I think could prove beneficial when writing non-fiction books, e-books, etc. in addition to novels).
The Books
Common Highlights
There are a few high points that each of these books share, including:
- There’s a finite timeline involved, which forces you to focus.
- They both address issues of time management and writer’s block (First Draft in 30 Days does an especially good job with a thorough list of ideas to help you push through blocks).
- They each contain quite a few worksheets to help you organize your thoughts and map out your story (I love worksheets and similar tools - maybe you’ll prefer your own note-taking methods).
Common Faults
The two books also share a few similar problems:
- Neither seems to really guide you in finishing what I would call a true “draft” (even a rough one) within a 30-day period. Instead, you’ll essentially have a very detailed outline. Maybe you’re comfortable calling that a draft - I’m not, and find the titles to be a bit deceptive in that sense. In the case of Book in a Month, it involves leaving out significant chunks of your story to get done in the time period allowed (one of the tips is to leave out subplots - how is that writing a real draft?). In the defense of First Draft in 30 days, the book does then offer advice on turning that formatted outline into an actual draft of a novel - I just find the title misleading in that it’s implied that’s a part of the 30-day program.
- I almost feel like the sheer amount of worksheets involved is a bit overwhelming, and found some of them to be rather vague. In fictional projects in the past, I’ve spent pages fully outlining the main character, villain, etc., trying to get into the head of the character and understand their motivations. I felt like some of the worksheets revolving around that in particular could leave your characters a little flat.
Now let’s talk a bit more about each of the books individually:
Book in a Month
One of the biggest problems I have with this book is the binding. It’s stiff, with a hard cover enclosing a ring-bound book. It’s difficult to quickly page through, can seem a bit clunky, and takes up a lot of space to lay out in front of you (you really can’t fold it back on itself). Another issue is the fold-out pages / cards at the beginning of each chapter. I think the chapter outline, and other information there is great, but the display feels awkward.
Speaking of those fold-outs, they do feature some highlights of the book. For example, during each week of the 30-day process, you’ll find a weekly mantra and writing meditation to help you stay focused and motivated. Your goals for the week are also laid out, and you’re reminded to celebrate each step of your progress. I just think the info could have been condensed onto a single carded page rather than the fold-out (perhaps others won’t have a problem with it though).
Despite my issues with other elements of the book’s format and layout, I love the vivid colors… black and white alone does nothing for me creatively, and when you’re working on a creative project like a novel (and potentially battling writer’s block), it can be refreshing.
I also love the fact that this book asks a lot of questions throughout its chapters, helping you get inside your own head, and again working to keep you motivated. I don’t really think they add much value to the book, but it also includes two sheets of stickers that you can use to motivate yourself, reward yourself, or even just check off things that you’ve completed.
The book itself urges you to buy a new copy for each project you work on. I think that’s ludicrous. Unless you’re crazy about those little stickers, there’s no need whatsoever to buy a new copy. You can photocopy anything that you need extra copies of for your own projects - and frankly, I think that’s smarter (if you make a mistake, just print off another page and work it out again). Nice try on the marketing gimmick, but I hope most writers don’t fall for it.
Overall, despite my complaints, I think the book was a worthwhile investment, and one I’ll enjoy using.
First Draft in 30 Days
I’ve already mentioned my biggest issues with this book, as they were shared with the second. In comparison, I would say the worksheets in this book are a bit more lacking, and unless I missed it there wasn’t a nice calendar layout here mapping out what you’ll do each day (although there are vaguer lists including date ranges). I would have liked to have seen that.
One thing I loved about this book is its section on outlining not only your novel, but outlining your career. This is a great addition for those authors with several fictional projects in the works, those who will be pitching one book while writing another, etc. If you want to be a career novelist, the advice and examples here are worth picking up a copy of the book for alone.
I also liked that this book has an adjusted 30-day plan for projects that were already in the works (I may use it to re-work a novel outline I did a few years back, because I’ll want to make some character and plot changes before moving forward with it).
Which Program Should You Use?
It’s a tough call on the better book here. From evaluating nothing but the methods and books themselves, I’d personally go with First Draft in 30 Days (because of the career planning chapter, nice list of writer’s block solutions, and the ability to tailor the project for new or existing projects easily).
However, if you’re a more visual person, or you like the extra nudges of probing questions to help you think and re-focus, Book in a Month will probably serve your needs better. I bought both, and don’t regret either purchase. There’s no reason I would suggest that you not consider one or the other, if this kind of project interests you.
Putting the Programs to the Test
I also mentioned in my previous post that I wasn’t going to stop at simply reviewing these books - I’m going to test each method!
I have two related story concepts ready to work with (similar to more accurately compare the methods, while having them be potentially co-marketable if I ever finish the books and decide to try to pitch them to publishers).
As of now, the plan is to use one method in June, and the second in July. However, 30 consecutive days may not be realistic for me, given that that’s a busy time of the year for my PR work, so all I’m going to guarantee is that I’ll be spending 30 working days following the plans laid out in each book (still hoping for 30 calendar days though). I’ll report on the progress of each down the road.
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June 4, 2008
If you also read my freelance writing blog, you may know that I recently reviewed two books on novel writing - both promising to help you write an outline / rough draft in 30 days.
After doing the comparative reviews, I decided that I was also going to put both of them to the test. I had two novel concepts to play with, and on June 1st, I began work on the first of them.
This isn’t my first go at fiction. I’ve fully outlined one dark mystery. It’s been shelved for a couple of years now, although I’m toying with dusting it off and touching it up if I’m still in a fiction-writing mood after these two outlines / drafts are completed. I’ve also done very detailed outlining (more like summary writing) for about a quarter of a comedy. I may be able to salvage and complete this someday, but I actually have another humourous project I’d like to pursue if and when I have the time, which would come before this one. I also studied children’s writing back in college, and still have some of those old short stories from class (and that I’d written afterwards) floating around somewhere.
My biggest problem with fiction tends to be that I walk away. I did intentionally for the last novel I’d outlined. I knew it wouldn’t make sense to sit down and fully flesh it out without taking a break. And I’m glad I did. Looking at the outline now I see a few things I’d like to change.
Anyway, I had started doing daily updates on my novel outline progress at the other blog, but frankly feel it’s more fitting here. So pardon the influx of posts today. I’m going to copy over the book reviews and first three posts on my novel progress, and then I’ll be doing any future posts on the writing progress here at All Book Marketing instead. I hope no one minds too much, and I hope if we have any fiction authors floating around that they’ll share some tips of their own. 
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April 28, 2008
We talked the other day about an example of an editor personally connecting with a buyer (in this case, me) after a purchase. It was an excellent example of relationship building with your target market for your book.
So today I want to ask you… how else can authors build a relationship with their audience, whether one-on-one or not? I’ll kick it off with a few basic ideas. I hope you’ll leave a comment to help expand the list, sharing your own experiences (either as an author, publisher, or even customer).
Ways to Connect With Customers or Potential Customers
- Keep an author blog where you update your audience on news, expand upon topics covered in your book, etc.
- Distribute a newsletter that works in a similar fashion - don’t just regurgitate what your book already tells them… go beyond that. Let them get to know you, and the subject matter, a bit more personally.
- Respond to comments on your blog. This is just as important, if not moreso, than the blogging itself. Why? Because this is where the “conversation,” or real interaction, comes in. This is where you move beyond talking at your audience, and instead start talking to them.
- Email your customers personally when possible. This is what we covered the other day. If you’re shipping the book yourself, send a quick email offering to sign it first (or include that option with the order form), or just to thank the reader personally. I’ve always found that I enjoy a book more when I’ve interacted personally with the author - In my work, I often know the author before the book comes out, so it’s a little bit different. But by having a feel for them as a person, I can have more respect for the work, and can understand their positions more, even if I don’t agree with everything they’ve written (very often true with books put out by PR colleagues).
It’s your turn now. How do you interact with your customers or potential readers, or how do you think you can improve on that front?
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April 26, 2008
Is Amazon one of the primary sales outlets for your books? Do you find that it’s kept reasonably well-stocked, or do they constantly under-order and run out, leading to long delays for your customers (and perhaps discouraging overall sales with some)?
After my last post, Aaron Christensen had mentioned to me that it’s not unusual for Amazon to be out of stock of his book (because I mentioned ordering from the official site when I couldn’t order from Amazon). He’s not the first person I’ve heard that from.
I’ve heard that several authors have “gotten around it” by acting as their own seller through Amazon, not only selling new copies, but also as a way to sell used or returned copies that they otherwise might have a harder time selling. Do you? What’s your experience with this method if you do?
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April 25, 2008
First of all, let me apologize for my long absence from All Book Marketing. Today seemed like a good day to get things back on track after a particularly pleasant exchange with an editor who demonstrated an important element of book PR: building a relationship with your audience.
It’s no secret that I’m a big advocate of author blogging to promote books and interact with your potential buyers. However, I strongly believe authors in this day and age need to be willing to go much further to build the all-important “relationship” with their customers or potential customers. Let’s face it, if I like you, I’m probably going to not only spread the word about your current book, but keep buying what you put out. So make me like you. Show me you’re a “real person” behind the book. Remind me that someone’s blood, sweat, and tears may have gone into its creation. I’ll appreciate it that much more. So will your other customers.
Recently I ordered Horror 101: The A-List of Horror Films and Monster Movies Vol 1. It’s a collection of essays on the best horror films, edited by Aaron “Dr. AC” Christensen. As a side note, I haven’t been much of a horror film for years - I wanted to pick up a copy because a good friend contributed one of the essays.
Normally I would just order from Amazon (I’ve turned into quite the book-buying junkie), but they didn’t have it in stock, so I ordered directly from the official site (linked above). I received an email from Christensen earlier today letting me know of a delay in the shipping, and offering to sign the book.
That seems like a very simple thing to do, right? Just shoot off an email. But frankly, most of the times I’ve ordered directly from an author’s site, I didn’t get so much as a template thank you email in response… just the order confirmation (otherwise known as the “Woohoo! I’ve got your money” letter). Why is that?
I know authors are busy. So are your customers. But they took the time to order your book. That’s them telling you that they’re already interested, and right there for you to start communicating with to build a long-term, more “personal” relationship so you can sell them even more in the future (your books, seminars, etc.).
As far as I’m concerned, there’s very little excuse not to interact with your readers with every opportunity you get. As you may know, I work more with musicians than authors. In that group, an artist / fan one-to-one communication is a given these days. I don’t see it to the same degree in publishing yet.
So tell me why….
And more importantly, tell me how you keep in touch with your readers and customers. What could you personally do to build better customer relationships? What advice can you share with other authors struggling to make a connection?
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January 22, 2008
A writer is a writer is a writer, right? Not quite.
You may have published a novel, non-fiction book, or e-book in your industry, but if you want to be proactive in your book marketing and promotional opportunities, you need to diversify those writing skills. Writing a book (or e-book) doesn’t mean you know how to effectively write in other specialties that can be beneficial in marketing your book.
You certainly don’t have to become an expert in every type of promotional writing available (and you won’t be able to tackle every type of writing anyway). That’s what specialists are for. But if you can take on some more of the marketing responsibility through writing, would you? If so, here are a few things you may want to learn how to write to help you promote your books (with links to resources that can help you):
How else can you stretch your writing skills to help promote your books or e-books? Share your own ideas or favorite resources.
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January 9, 2008
I just added a sample media advisory done for an author’s book launch event over at my business site.
If you’ll be inviting the media to a book publicity event of your own, feel free to take a look at this example media advisory, and use it as a guide in writing your own:
Book Launch Event: Psychic Author’s New Book to Benefit Scleroderma Research
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All Book Marketing is a blog on book marketing and book publicity, run by publicist and online PR specialist Jennifer Mattern.
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