Category Archives: Style

NO MEANS NO…SOMETIMES

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HOW TO USE “NO” TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

“No” is a powerful word. It has two meanings – both yes and no. If someone offers you a slither of your favorite cake (mine is red velvet – homemade, not out of a box), and you say no because you’re trying to watch your figure, chances are, what you really mean is “Yes, I’d love to have a piece of cake. Glad you asked.” But, there’s something in you that answers for you, namely your waistline that threatens to bulge if you dare even dream of having even one bite. Continue reading →

DRAW…ERRR…WRITE, I MEAN

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HOW TO WRITE FROM THE HIP

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Writing from the hip can be cumbersome to some, but freeing to others, like me. The previous post was about writing with a plan from start to finish. I’ve tried writing with a plan, and I find that the craft itself becomes more of a burden than a pleasure.

A lot of times, I have ideas in my head, and I have to see which direction they lead me before I can truly be committed to the ideas themselves. In order for me to see the direction, I have to let it flow, which ultimately means that I am usually one step ahead of my pen. Continue reading →

IT’S ALL PART OF THE PLAANNN

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HOW TO WRITE WITH A PLAN

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When creating a writing process that works for you, you have two choices (generally speaking): you can plan your work from start to finish, or you can write from the hip. I believe that both processes are valid, and I’ll tell you about my experience with each.

PLANNING

I chose to plan the entire second book of the The Pioneers.

And here’s what I did. Continue reading →

DEVELOP YOUR PROCESS

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HOW TO DEVELOP A WRITING PROCESS

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One of the most frequent questions I get asked is how I come up with my ideas. I hadn’t thought about it much because usually they just come and then my pen responds in kind. But that doesn’t help the novice writer out too much.

In fact, I often find myself wondering the same thing about the greats: Robin Cook, Stephen King, and the JD Rob types (whom I haven’t read much of but I do respect). I mention these few because they come out with different types of books — not just selling one mega story such as Game of Thrones or Harry Potter. It’s much simpler to continue a story that has begun, but more difficult to create fresh characters and a fresh new plotline that people still want to read. Continue reading →

CURTAIN UP!

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HOW TO CREATE STAGE PRESENCE

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Stage presence is a very difficult thing to achieve, especially in writing. First, the question comes up: what is stage presence? Think of it this way: if you’ve seen the Dark Knight with Heath Ledger, then you know stage presence. Every time he’s on the screen, there’s a heavy feeling that comes – the whole what-the-heck-is-he-about-to-do kinda’ thing.

Another example would be Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada. Whenever she’s on the set, your attention falls directly on her. Tyrion Lanister from A Song of Ice and Fire has a strong stage presence, as do all of the Laninsters, in my opinion – probably his father more so. Anyway, you get the point. Stage presence is the ability to take the spotlight. Continue reading →

TRILOGY TROUBLES

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DECIDING TO WRITE A SERIES OR A SINGLE BOOK

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Writing a series is a definite way to make some cash, ultimately because people who may have only slightly enjoyed your book 1 will perhaps continue through the latter books just to see how the story ends. An even greater reward is when someone praises all three books, detailing how they enjoyed each book in the series. So there’s some definite satisfaction when your readers talk like that.

I’ve noticed trends in my sales with The Pioneers where someone will purchase book 1, and within a few days, I’ll see sales for book 2 & 3. What does this imply? Well, it makes me think that someone has bought the first book to test it out, and then that same person decides that 2 & 3 must be equally as good. So by writing a trilogy, I have in effect been able to sell 3 books at once. Continue reading →

A WORD-WIELDER

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HOW TO WRITE GREAT COPY

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Copy is something all self-publishers need to develop. In fact, I would even say that all writers need to have great copy. Unfortunately, developing this skill is tough, since the books about copy relate more specifically to marketing for business rather than for fiction.

And if you write fantasy and sci-fi…good luck honing that copy talent.

The task of presenting your work in a few short lines seems impossible. I mean, how are you supposed to reduce 100,000 words to 100 words? That’s a 1,000% reduction! Continue reading →

I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT

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HOW TO WRITE MORE FLUIDLY

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So, I wasn’t going to do this, but I decided against it because of how impressed with this program I am.

I have been writing for over a year now, and for months I scoured the internet looking for a writing app that was truly for writers! Continue reading →

MARKETING MADNESS

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HOW TO ADVERTISE WISELY

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Over the past month, I have delved into the dark world of marketing for my first book, EXTRACTED.

 This post will help you find what works and what doesn’t work when it comes to broadcasting your book.

 Keep in mind that this is based on one month, and it has been from my own experience. Some people may disagree, and that is fine, but I am simply presenting some ideas of which I would steer clear. Continue reading →

LATENT HERO

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HOW TO CREATE A LATENT HERO

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Mariah Carey says, “You don’t have to be afraid, of what you are.” The latent hero is a hero who has given up. You’ll usually run into her as someone who people used to believe in. She used to be well-respected. She used to be honorable, but not anymore.

Something happened to derail her from the fate that destiny had lined up, and it’s going to take a miracle to get her back on track.

I have to admit that this is one of my favorite types of heroes. It’s the kind of hero who quietly shows us that there is something great in all of us, that we’re not heroes by circumstance, but we were made to be conquerors.

I don’t always write this kind of hero, but it is the one who I most admire.

What are some essential elements to the latent hero?

BROKEN
The reader must find this hero in a broken state, torn down and shoved into a closet. Commonly, you’ll see this hero drinking or gambling, wasting his life away, struggling to make ends meet.

As writers, it is our responsibility to create real situations where the latent hero is in the slumps, with no desire to break out.

GLIMPSE
The latent hero must see a glimpse of what his life could be. Usually this comes in the form of a question: “What happened to you, man?”

That question never gets old. It’s been asked in countless novels and innumerable films. It’s the question that the reader wants to know, and it’s this question that brings the latent hero out of dormancy.

WEAKNESS
This hero, once he is shown a glimpse of what he could be, must be forced to face his past. For it is his past that has made him weak, and he has to come to terms with it before he can move forward.

Perhaps he killed an innocent man in the line of duty. Maybe the fame of boxing made the fans view him as someone he was not. What if his lifestyle as a journalist made him see that the stories he reports on are about real people with real problems, and this was too heavy of a burden for him?

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When creating a latent hero, if we can add these elements into the story, then we will have a more powerful novel.

I hope this helps. Thanks for stopping by.

Just as a reinvigoration, I will post this blog on FreshInk and StadlerStyle.