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Economic Or Artistic Success: Which Do You Prefer?

One of my favorite Christmas pastimes is watching reruns of popular Christmas stories. This year with all the family activities taking

Copy of Sketch of Charles Dickens (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

place, I didn’t get a chance to watch any of them. However, a post on AWAI’s The Writer’s Life, a blog I subscribe to, set me thinking about the authors and what they had to go through to create and market these stories.

The first one that sent me digging for information was the perennial favorite, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. This manuscript, which was later to become a masterpiece, was first intended to be a political paper championing the cause of the poor and their children. Dickens himself had suffered humiliating childhood poverty after his father was imprisoned for debt and Dickens, at the age of twelve, was forced to leave school and work in a shoe-blacking factory. Dickens later decided that a Christmas narrative would be the most effective way to awaken the population to his concerns about poverty and social injustice.

Dickens took six weeks to write the story and it was published on Dec. 19, 1843. The book received immediate critical acclaim in London, and the first run of 6000 copies sold out by Christmas Eve. Initial reaction in America was not as enthusiastic, but the book later caught on after the New York Times published an enthusiastic review. Despite this, revenue from the self-published book was disappointing. Production costs ate into his profits, and to make matters worse, the book was later pirated in January 1844. Dickens sued and won, but the pirates, Parley‘s Illuminated Library, simply declared bankruptcy and Dickens was left to pay £700 in fees.

A Christmas Carol may not have been an economic success for the author, but it has impacted millions over the years and continues to do so today. So, which do you prefer – economic or artistic success? This famous work by a beloved author proves that no matter how magnificent our writing, financial success is not guaranteed. Rather, we should always strive to produce our best, most heartfelt work and let God decide the outcome.

Creating Your Characters

Joyce Carol Oates at USF (Photo credit: shawncalhoun)

If you are a fiction writer, one of your major challenges is creating memorable characters. Think of your characters as the pillars of a structure. If they are not strong, or don’t have the necessary qualities to support that plot, it’s likely to collapse. If your readers don’t care for your characters, especially the major ones, chances are they won’t care for your story either. Think of a movie you saw that you really enjoyed. Why did you enjoy it? What do you remember about it? Of course, great acting may be one of the reasons you enjoyed the movie, but if the main character was weak, then the acting couldn’t do much to improve on it.

In my critique group, I get a lot of praise for my characters, even the lesser ones. I think it’s because I try to get to know them – their likes, dislikes, what makes them tick, what is likely to set them off – that sort of thing. When I began my first book in the Egypt series, I searched faces on the street and in magazines looking for the right faces to match my characters. I found that people in public gave me what I wanted more than magazine photos, for the simple reason that I could commit to memory their build, their gait, facial expression, mannerisms etc. Nothing gives me more pleasure than when my critiquing friends say, “I just love Marva,” or, “I just love David.”

In the video below, popular writer Joyce Carol Oates discusses how to create outstanding characters. Enjoy!

Fiction Writing: Creating Believable Characters

My Writing Adventure by Dr. Jay D. Roberts, M.D.

Today, I am pleased to publish this guest post by Dr. Jay D. Roberts, a medical doctor and author of Break The Chains, a memoir. If you have ever read any of my blog posts, you know that I’m always encouraging writers, and myself, never to give up on your dreams. Here, Dr. Roberts shows us how he eventually overcame his fears and moved past rejection to achieve his dream.

Enjoy!

It started two decades ago in Palm Springs with my some of my friends – Harold Robbins knew some of my story and told me to write a book. I didn’t. A few years later, Sonny Bono told me I needed to tell my story. I didn’t. That same year, Sidney Sheldon echoed their sentiments. I still didn’t.

How could I? I can’t write. English was my least favorite subject in school.

Years later, for some strange reason I thought of my friends years ago encouraging me to write. I’d like to think they were screaming at me from heaven.

So I wrote, a memoir. It was awful. Read like an emotionless scientific paper.

So I stopped.

A couple of years later I thought about writing again. But this time a light bulb had gone off in my head- to become a doctor I had studied hard. To write I needed to do the same.

So I bought books on the craft of writing, lots of them, and read each one, several times.

I wrote and dug deep for the core of my story, as I had learned from my studying.

What I unburied was too painful. So I stopped writing for several months, maybe a year.

I prayed and began to attend writing conferences. At The Taos Summer Writing Conference, God sent me my first writing angel, Minrose. He knew I needed more help, so he blessed me with Julie. I listened to my mentors and applied myself. Wrote and re-wrote. I had entered the world of revisions.

I read a diverse collection of books to see how other authors had applied the art of writing in their stories.

I traveled, went back to the Philippines for forty days and nights (no intent to relate to Moses), to revitalize my senses and enrich my story.

More revisions followed- oh, the torture and necessity of revisions! But nothing compared to the rejections of my queries.

I became numb to being told- “Great story, but not a fit for us at this time.”

But I did not expect two cruel rejections.

One was from a senior editor at a major publishing house in NYC who had asked me to bring my manuscript. I can still remember her words, “I will not even touch your manuscript. Even if you could write, which you can’t because you are a doctor, nobody will buy your book because you are a nobody.”

The other was from an agent at a Christian Writing Conference who wanted to represent me. Her words ripped into my heart. “I’m sorry. I really love your story, but I can’t represent you. I didn’t realize that you were Catholic. The publishers I deal with will not work with Catholics.”

God wasn’t through yet. He sent me my third angel, Joan.

More revisions.

Prayers blanketed me from family and friends.

Then one miraculous day, Joan found my book a home with Tate Publishing.

God bless Dr. Richard Tate for believing in my story and all of the staff at Tate for their help in making my book a reality.

I am now learning the necessity of patience during the production process.

I look forward to the day this year that my book will be set out into the world. I pray that all can be set free.

So, here’s to all the “nobody writers.” Keep your dreams alive, write, rewrite, submit and resubmit. Let no one dowse your flame. Believe and you shall receive!

Break the Chains can be purchased at

AMAZON / B&N / TATE PUBLISHING

NaNoWriMo 2013

Last year I decided to unofficially participate in NaNoWriMo, not because I wanted to write my novel in a month, but because I hoped to feed off the energy and motivation generated among writers during this month. There are live events near where I live, and I hope to attend at least one. This year my novel is almost complete. I’d hoped to have it completed by now, the first draft, that is, but my plot took an unexpected twist and I’m really enjoying it. So far, I have topped 102, 000 words, way more than I originally intended. However, I know I’ll be doing some slashing in the earlier chapters once I begin to edit. Anything that doesn’t advance the plot has to go. By the time I’m done, I expect to be under 100K.

So what about you? What does your NaNoWriMo look like? Are you attending any live events? What goal(s) have you set for yourself? Leave a comment below and let me know what you’re up to.

On The Go With Mayra Calvani, Author Of Dark Lullaby

Today it is my pleasure to host Author Mayra Calvani on day four of her virtual book tour. Mayra is the author of Dark Lullaby, a horror novel. In this post, Mayra tells us a little bit about her book and what she is doing to promote it. Please leave a comment below for Mayra and you can also visit her at the links posted.

Since Dark Lullaby is only available as an ebook, I haven’t done any in-person events or signings so far. But there are many opportunities on the Internet, and October is the perfect month to promote a horror novel.

Besides this virtual book tour with the Working Writer’s Club, I’ve also been touring with PumpUpYourBook, Enchanted Book Tours, and I.O. Book Tours. I bought an ad on Goodreads and also on BookGorilla. I also hired someone to re-design my website (www.MayraCalvani.com) last month.

Reviews have been added to my Amazon purchase page and at one point the book’s rank went from the 400,000s to the 15,000s.

Have I earned back my investment?

No. Not yet, at least.

Horror is, in general, a tough sell, and book promotion is an ongoing process. To see results, one must be persistent and consistent.

However, I’d advise writers to never let book promotion stand in the way of their writing. As authors, our most valuable time is spent producing that next book.

About the Book:

At a tavern one Friday night, astrophysicist Gabriel Diaz meets a mysterious young woman. Captivated by her beauty as well as her views on good and evil, he spends the next several days with her. But soon he begins to notice a strangeness in her…especially the way she seems to take pleasure in toying with his conscience.

The young woman, Kamilah, invites him to Rize, Turkey, where she claims her family owns a cottage in the woods. In spite of his heavy workload and the disturbing visions and nightmares about his sister’s baby that is due to be born soon, Gabriel agrees to go with her.

But nothing, not even the stunning beauty of the Black Sea, can disguise the horror of her nature… In a place where death dwells and illusion and reality seem as one, Gabriel must now come to terms with his own demons in order to save his sister’s unborn child, and ultimately, his own soul.

BIO:

Mayra Calvani writes fiction and nonfiction for children and adults and has authored over a dozen books, some of which have won awards. Her stories, reviews, interviews and articles have appeared on numerous publications such as The Writer, Writer’s Journal, Multicultural Review, and Bloomsbury Review, among many others. When she’s not writing, reading, editing or reviewing, she enjoys walking her dog, traveling, and spending time with her family.

ONLINE LINKS:

· Website www.MayraCalvani.com

· Blog www.thedarkphantom.wordpress.com

· Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mayra.calvani

· Twitter https://twitter.com/mcalvani

· Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/272703.Mayra_Calvani

Check out Mayra’s supernatural thriller, Dark Lullaby:http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Lullaby-ebook/dp/B005UI7FOG

Virtual Book Tour

I suspend my regular programming to bring you a very important announcement. I will be taking my book Women For All Seasons on a virtual book tour starting tomorrow October 7 until Oct 11. The first stop is at http: //margegower.com. When you visit the blog please leave a comment so your name can be entered in a drawing to win a free copy of the book, postage paid anywhere in the United States.

The book which is targeted to women of all ages (seasons) is based on stories of women of the Bible, and I think it will make a nice gift for yourself or someone you care about. Meanwhile, if you wish to jump ahead you can purchase a copy on Amazon from this link http://www.amazon.com/Women-All-Seasons-Biblical-Examples/dp/1432760424/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381092393&sr=1-5&keywords=women

Or from Smashwords at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/34069

In case you are hearing about my book for the first time, you can learn more about it and read a sample by clicking here

Remember The Little Details

While on my walk this morning, I came across a couple staring at something on a tree branch. As I drew nearer, the woman pointed to the tree and said, “Isn’t it amazing how God puts so much detail into everything?” I peered at the tree to see what she was talking about, and there was a huge spider caught in a big web. I agreed with her that God is a God of details. Then I saw she had her phone out. “Did you get him?” I asked. “I sure did,” she replied. So I got out my phone and took two shots. See one of them here.

As I walked away, the word “details” kept popping into my mind. I immediately thought of my writing. As fiction writers, it can be very easy for us to focus on getting our plot just right; working out the conflicts, all the little twists and turns and surprises, while ignoring the details. But its these little details that make the story come alive and make the reader feel she is in the story, not looking in from the outside. Let’s look at the paragraph below from The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George:

Warmth. Wind. Dancing blue waters and the sound of waves. I see, hear, feel them all still. I even taste the sting of the salt on my lips, where the fine, misty spray coats them. And closer even than that, the lulling, drowsy smell of my mother’s skin by my nose, where she holds me against her bosom …

Do you see, hear, feel and taste the details? That’s the kind of sensory experience you want to give your readers. This is not the same as clutter, which adds nothing to the story. If it feels cumbersome, it must go. But if everything fits into place, like the markings on a spider’s leg, then you are on to something. Like any craft, it takes practice, but eventually, you should get it just right.

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I will be taking my book Women For All Seasons on a virtual book tour from October 7 – 18. I will also be giving away a copy of the book and downloadable excerpts to readers who visit the blogs and leave a comment. I will post all the details as the time draws nearer. Meanwhile, if you wish to jump ahead you can purchase a copy on Amazon from the link on your right, or from Smashwords at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/34069

How to Write About a Place You’ve Never Been

You Can Write And Still Be Healthy

This week I accepted a challenge by writing coach, Suzanne Lieurance. Suzanne threw out a challenge to members of the Working Writer’s Club to join her in adopting some healthy habits over the next four weeks. If you are a writer, you know how difficult it can be to find time for exercise. Even our nutrition suffers as we tend to snack while writing, or drink cups of coffee while we struggle to meet deadlines.

If you fall into any of these patterns, the following tips will help you observe healthy habits while you write .

1. Shop right. If you want to be a healthy writer, the first thing you need to do is go out and shop for some real food. Bypass the junk food and stock up on some fruits, veggies, eggs, meat, fish and whole grain breads.

2. Prepare meals beforehand and store in the freezer so you won’t be tempted to snack. Make a few sandwiches – chicken, turkey, tuna – whatever you like, wrap and store in the fridge. That way you don’t have to worry about what you’re going to eat and you won’t be reaching for the potato chips or something like that. For your afternoon snack, you can make a smoothie and store it in the fridge, or try some strawberries with low-fat whipped cream.

3. Exercise. I know this sometimes sounds like a bad word, but you can find time to exercise. It doesn’t have to be for long blocks of time. In fact, if you find it difficult to tear yourself away from the computer, why not do it first thing in the morning? I went walking this morning and it always boosts my energy for the day and helps me think clearly. If you can’t do that, there are exercises you can do while sitting at your desk. I wrote a post on that sometime ago. You can read about it here: http://angelasfreelancewriting.com/fitness-tips-for-writers/.

So accept the challenge and come back and leave a comment on what you are doing and how it’s benefiting you. Happy writing!

So You Really Want To Be A Writer?

If you answered ‘yes’ to the above, you may want to watch this video first. What he shows in this video is funny, but so realistic. After you write The End, you have only just begun. You have to go through the blood, sweat and tears of EDITING!

Watch and enjoy!

http://youtu.be/aly7bSv6xUs

Who Should Be Your Protagonist?

I am working on my second book in the Egypt series, and I have to confess this book is causing me some bother, not so much with the plot, or the setting or even the characterization, but with the protagonist. There seems to be some kind of competition going on between my protagonist and her sister, who is also a main character in the book.

Just to give you an idea of my dilemma, here is the plot in a nutshell. My protag Marva is a twenty-one year young woman who suffers major guilt feelings over having killed her father years ago on account of incest. She was never brought to trial, although the detective on the case suspected she was guilty. And she knew he suspected her. This happened in Book 1. In Book 2 she desperately wants to get the burden off her conscience by confessing to someone, but has no one to confess to. June is now 17, and Marva feels she is no longer needed in her sister’s life. Marva thinks her only solution lies in killing herself – something she attempted in Book 1.

Now this is where the competition arises. As the protag slips deeper into depression, June seems to take over, warning Marva not to confess to anyone as this would disrupt the comfortable new life they have made for themselves. June is beautiful, bright, vivacious and always part of a group. She would be an ideal YA protag. Marva, though attractive, is a loner, introverted and uncomfortable around others because of her guilt feelings.

I chose Marva to be the protagonist because, to my mind, the story centers around her. She has the most at stake. According to Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint by Nancy Kress, Marva seems to fit the profile of a villain protagonist, even though she is not a villain in this book. According to Nancy, the villain should be:

tenacious
a loner
resourceful
not loquacious and
idealistic – this, Ms. Kress says is the most important. Whatever she does, lie, steal or even kill, must be done in the service of her country, her family (as in Marva’s case) or for the sake of right.

Some time ago I featured a blog post by Yvonne Anderson, my friend and critique partner, on the subject of protagonists. Yvonne is the author of the Gannah series. You can read her post here: http://angelasfreelancewriting.com/y-is-for-ys-words/, and after you have read it leave a comment and let me know who you think deserves the star role – June or Marva.