World building is a lot of fun for me as a writer. It is also important to readers, since a well or poorly written world can make or break a book. I found this post especially interesting, maybe because Ancient Voices takes place entirely in a mountain village. Mine is more an alpine setting, but there are many different types of ranges and associated cultures. Take a look at this article posted on the Mythcreants blog–it’s a good one!
Just to mess with your head today…
If I made this up for my fantasy world, who would buy into it? Reality really is stranger than fiction sometimes. (Shared from Chris the Story Reading Ape’s blog)
I know it has been a while since I posted anything on my blog (or any social media for that matter). I apologize for disappearing, but I hope you’ll agree my temporary hiatus was for a good cause. During April I took part in Camp NaNoWriMo, which is always a great motivator for me to get lots of writing done. Sometimes I don’t get anywhere near my goal. This time I blew right past it. I managed to get over 35,000 words written during camp, and an additional 10,000 written in the first week of May. It is the most successful camp I’ve had to date, and I’m extremely excited to announce that have finished yet another book!
The first draft is now off to beta readers for review. I don’t have a specific publish date in mind yet, but stay tuned. For those who have been patiently waiting, the Wind Rider Chronicles will be growing again very soon.
In the meantime, I’ll work on bringing some life back into my blog. Thanks for being patient!
Congratulations! You’ve published your first novel (or maybe your second or your third) and now you’re ready to market it.
This can be a daunting moment. I think all of us secretly hope that our novel will be miraculously discovered and recognised as the masterpiece it truly is … but we know that isn’t going to happen without some sort of marketing.
The good news – especially if the very idea of marketing makes you shudder – is that there’s no single “right” way to let the world know about your book. There are lots of different techniques you might try, depending on the type of book you’ve written, and the type of author you are.
I’m focusing on self-published novelists in this post. Many of these suggestions will work just fine for traditionally published authors too, but as a self-publisher, you have full control over things like the price of your book – and carte blanche to market in any way you see fit.
I’ve also kept this list short: seven ideas rather than the 50+ you might find on some sites. I’ve come across some huge lists of marketing ideas for novelists … but often I end up feeling that most of the ideas aren’t necessarily all that workable or impactful.
While there are an almost unlimited number of things you could do to promote your novel, in this post, I’m going to focus on seven very common ones:
Read the rest of the post: http://www.aliventures.com/seven-ways-market-novel/
Shared thanks to Chris the Story Readin’g Ape’s Blog: Seven Ways to Market Your Self-Published Novel…
Get inspired with this week’s Fantasy Art Friday, where fun fantasy artwork is combined with a writing prompt to get your creative juices flowing.
This image depicts a tale we’re all familiar with…Santa, the reindeer, the sleigh full of gifts…flying high in the night sky on a snowy Christmas eve. Is this dreamy landscape part of the North Pole? Or maybe someplace a bit more fantastical? Imagine Santa–or some version of him–visiting the various worlds of our imaginations. What sort of magical twist could we bring to this classic story? Are you up to the challenge fellow writers? If so, pick up your pens and create your own version of who is in that sleigh, what it might be carrying, and to whom. Hope you all have a very merry Christmas!
Want to see more Fantasy Art posts? Find them here.
“Show, don’t tell” is common phrase that attempts to oversimplify a complex topic. “Show” and “Tell” are both essential for good writing. They represent complimentary techniques for writing prose. It is true that telling is often easier, and as a result it’s frequently over used, but both have their place in writing.
If writing is the art of using words to convey meaning, then telling is the technique of blatantly stating the meaning directly. “He was mean.” “She was nice.” “It was hot outside.” Few words have been used and the meaning is clear, but the significance of the meaning is left vague. Audiences know what the character thinks and feels, but almost nothing about the object of those thoughts and feelings. No concrete information has been revealed.
Telling is also very passive experience for the audience. Audiences don’t have to think to understand the meaning of the text. They simply absorb it.
Showing, in contrast, is an indirect approach. Showing implies meaning through details. “Rain pelted the windows.” “He cradled the dog in his arms.” “She hummed softly as she worked.” By themselves, these phrases could mean many things. Perhaps he likes dogs, or perhaps he is a nice person. Perhaps she is a diligent worker, or perhaps music is an important aspect of her life.
As audiences learn more, the range of possible meanings narrows, until audiences are able to reach a conclusion. However, showing is not limited to a single meaning, and often carries multiple implications. It’s possible for the protagonist to like dogs and be a nice person.
Continue reading…Show & Tell (1/3)
Christmas is almost here, and then…the new year! Can you believe it? What happened to 2017 anyway? If you’re an indie author, you’re probably already thinking ahead to your publishing and marketing goals for the next year. Belinda Griffin of Smart Authors Lab has put together a list of the best resources to help you achieve those goals.
When planning this post I really wanted to put together an epic list of book marketing and promotion ideas for indie authors and their self-published books, but there are already so many excellent tips out there.
I thought, what would be more useful for you, another list of book marketing tips that repeat what others have already said, or an ultimate guide that directs you to some of the most helpful content the internet already has to offer?
I decided to go with the second option, and I’m sure you’ll agree there are some truly valuable book marketing ideas out there when you know where to look. I’ve done the searching so you don’t have to and these are all fantastic book promotion tips from experts who really know their stuff.
Continue Reading: 640+ Killer Ways to Promote Your Book…
Allison D. Reid 