Starting Over~Fingers on the Keyboard

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Linda Barrett

HERE WE GO AGAIN!

There is nothing scarier for a writer than staring at a blank computer screen, unsure where to start. Fingers, type something! Type anything. Truly, anything will do. Nora Roberts said so, and that lady knows a little something about writing books. Paraphrasing Nora here: you can edit poor word choices, but you can’t edit a blank page. She is so right. I’d better get crackin’.

I’m starting a new book, I’ve written fourteen other novels and should have the confidence to forge ahead without a second thought. But it doesn’t work that way. At least not for me nor for many other writers in my orbit.

I look at that blank screen and feel my heart race, my palms sweat. Oh, my God. I’ve got to come up with about 300 pages of story. I have to introduce fabulous characters and new conflicts to be resolved. I have to take readers on such an emotional ride that they won’t stop reading until the very last page. At this point my stomach hurts, too. I visualize a tall, teetering pile of manuscript pages that should emerge at some point and have to take a deep breath. I need a pep talk. So I give one to myself.

My daily pep talk comes with coffee: Once upon a time there was a beautiful and talented writer…

Calm down. You can do this. You’ve done it before, and you’ll do it again. You love to make stuff up. You love getting to know new characters and figuring them out. You love making them work for the ending they deserve. I keep talking and listening. Everything I’m saying is entirely true. But that insecure little devil in me challenges: Aw, come on. It’s hard work.It nags at you 24/7. Do you really think you can do it again?

I’ve got the hero in mind. I’d met him a few years ago in Pilgrim Cove. A widower who’d recently gone through a broken engagement. I’d left him alone with his little girl, and ever since, readers have been after me to give Adam his happy ending. Okay, now is the time. But who would be the right woman for him? A woman who’d challenge him and drive him crazy? A woman he can’t stop thinking about? She has to be the perfect match for Adam.

I scroll halfway down the first page. My fingers rest on the home keys, and I slowly type Chapter One. I double space and Indent. I’m ready to start Page One, Paragraph One, Sentence One.

Would she use the ramp or try the stairs?

And suddenly, I’m back in Pilgrim Cove, where the ocean is at your doorstep and the residents are in your business. I’ve got a handle on this woman, but I’ll get to know her better when I see how she reacts to the situation she’s in. And the situations I throw at her.

Once again, I’m engrossed in creating a story, in finding out what happens next. I’m not thinking about the number of pages in the whole book. At this moment, I’m thinking only about Chapter One, Scene One. This time my heart’s racing with excitement. I’m having fun! Again.

Are there activities that scare you, but that you want to try anyway? A parachute jump? Living in another country for a time? Or, perhaps writing a book?

POST A COMMENT AND YOUR NAME WILL BE ENTERED INTO THE JUNE DRAWING FOR GREAT PRIZES. The winner will receive TWO of the books shown here (your choice), all written by the members of On Fire Fiction as well as a $25 gift certificate to Amazon or BN (your choice).

All of these books are traditional romances. Some are funny, some are more serious in tone. You can browse them at your favorite etailer and Look Inside the Books. You might be the winner!

As always, thanks so much for stopping by. I hope to see you for the next edition of Starting Over.

Linda

Starting Over~Fingers on the Keyboard

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Linda Barrett

GET TO THE POINT!

Yes, that’s moi. My fingers at my messy desk.

Yesterday I typed The End on a new work that will be part of an anthology published by OnFireFiction this fall. The anthology celebrates holidays around the year, and my contribution honors Mother and Father’s Days. With a dozen authors contributing to the volume, short pieces are in order. Oh, no problem–just grab an idea and jot it down. Uhh…not so fast, my friends. I can assure you most writers acknowledge that writing short is more difficult than writing long.

In a short story, there’s no time to explore the byways and detours that might intrigue you as you write a novel. You must ignore the lure of an extra and tempting, What if…? With a very limited word count, getting from Point A to Point B is the priority, and you have to do it in as little time as possible while still providing a satisfying read.This means developing characters who readers will care about. It means creating a problem they have to resolve all within about 25 manuscript pages. For contrast, any of my traditional romance novels ran about 320 pages. Family Interrupted ran 430. So for most novelists, the challenge of the short form is…well, a challenge.

Because of the story i was writing for the holiday anthology, I started thinking about short stories, poems and songs. I looked up some of the poets with whom we’re most familiar, and an hour flew by as Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson and Edgar Allen Poe captured me once more. How did they do it? No wonder there are so few greats.

Frost used only six stanzas to evoke the imagination as he stood before two roads and chose “the one less traveled on.” Poe used a similar amount of space to express the eternal love he held for his “Annabel Lee.” The Belle of Amherst–ah, call her the Belle of Pithy: “Because I could not stop for Death, He kindly stopped for me…” In only five short stanzas–maybe a hundred words– she made friends with what we fear most and turned our thinking upside down. I’m in awe.

Many of our songwriters are contemporary poets who tell stories–and they do it within three minutes of air time. Think about “Cat’s in the Cradle” by Harry Chapin. A complete story about raising a child–with a moral attached. He provided us with something to think about after the song ended. It’s the same with Mac Davis’s “In the Ghetto” sung by Elvis Presley. Billy Joel has written dozens of songs which are stories and gets his point across as a poet does–in a few stanzas. In “A Matter of Trust” he’s talking about what comes after the first flurry of love. A real marriage is based on trust. Other genres to think about are country and folk music where every song’s a story, enriching our American anthology of creative writing.

The shortest form of writing today is known as Flash Fiction: a novel in six words. Perhaps the most famous example, attributed to Hemingway but not proven so, is:

“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”

It’s all there. The plot, the characters, the emotion. Only the details are missing, but that’s okay. We don’t need them to feel the impact of the story. This is pithy to the extreme.

Compared to Flash Fiction, I guess my 25 page short story is a luxury! Not complaining any more 🙂

Do you read poetry? Short stories? Or do you prefer novels?

Our CONTEST WINNER for MAY is: LISA R. CLARO. She’s aready received her package of Love Me Some Cowboy and Family Interrupted.

A NEW CONTEST FOR JUNE!! Make a comment and your name will be entered in a NEW CONTEST with GREAT PRIZES. The winner will receive two of the six books shown here (your choice), all written by members of OnFireFiction as well as a $25 gift certificate to Amazon or BN (your choice).

All of these books are traditional romances in different styles. Some are funny, some more serious and evocative. Browse them at Amazon where you can Look Inside the books. You might be the winner!

As always, thanks so much for stopping by. I hope to see you for the next edition of Starting Over.

Best,

Linda

Starting Over – Fingers on the Keyboard

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Linda Barrett

HARD COVERS and SOFT COVERS and E-BOOKS, OH MY!

Gutenberg invented the printing press in approximately 1439 and changed the world forever. Gone was the dependency on hand written manuscripts as the mass production of printed books became a reality. His movable press became more efficient over time due to improved materials and tweaks, but nothing much changed for hundreds of years.

Enter the electronic revolution.

In today’s world, not only are books accessible to us, but readers have choices. What type of book do you prefer to hold in your hands? A compact well designed eReader such as a Kindle or Nook? Or a “real” book made of paper pages sporting a rich cover? Most book lovers I speak with enjoy a combination of both, depending on the type of book. But let’s not kid ourselves, Electronic books are here to stay. The entire publishing industry has changed because of them. And authors have led the way.

Authors?. That’s right. I said authors. But they write the books. They don’t publish the books. That’s what companies like Random House or Simon & Schuster do. Well, my friends, while that may still be true, those businesses now have new competition.

Enter the “indie” author.

The independent author has emerged as a powerful player in today’s book scene. An independent author contracts with a freelance editor, a copy editor, and a cover designer to help her produce–or continue to produce–stories that readers love. The independent author has become her own publisher.

I am one of them. After writing a dozen or so novels for a traditional publisher, I’ve decided to go out on my own.

You might have a few questions….? Ah-h…I see a some hands up in the back of the room. Yes, Mary?

Q. Why did you change to indie publishing?

A. Several reasons. First, I could write more books than my publisher could schedule for release because they had other contracted authors to satisfy. Second, they sometimes turned down projects that I liked a lot and thought my readers would like too. Now I have a chance to make those stories available. And third, It was time for me to grow as a writer with bigger projects. Ergo, Family Interrupted.

Q. But don’t you have to pay those editors to help you?

A. Yes, I do. But it’s worth every cent. I would never release a book that hasn’t been thoroughly edited by professionals. It’s very difficult for me–or any author– to do a good job editing her own work because after re-reading the story a million times, you just don’t see the mistakes.

Any other questions? I see another hand. Susie?

Q. So let’s talk about money. Doesn’t a big publisher pay you lots of money to write your books?

A. Only the biggest names — authors who make the lists such as The New York Times or USA Today — earn “big” money. Authors who publish regularly but have a smaller following earn far less. For most of my writing life, I’ve also worked a day job in order to pay the bills. I taught GED prep classes to homeless adults. Another challenging profession! Frankly, I loved that career, too.

Q. So, is it easier being an indie author?

A. There is no difference in the creativity and effort that goes into writing the story. It is neither easier nor harder to produce the best book possible. The extra effort for the indie author involves promoting the book. The responsibility is all mine, and I so appreciate any help I can get. If readers don’t know me or if they can’t find my books, then all my work will have been in vain. Without a reader, the art is unfinished. The circle is not closed. If I were a painter, I could hang my pictures on the walls of my house. I can’t hang a manuscript. Books are to share between writer and reader and among friends.

Q. How does a reader know if an author is indie or traditional?

A. When you pick up a book, the publisher’s name will be in it. In my book, Family Interrupted, only my name is in it as both the copyright holder and the “permission giver” for reproducing any part of the work. Some indie authors might have incorporated themselves, and that corporate name would be on the copyright page.

Q. Are printed books available from an indie author?

A. The author decides whether to publish her book in print. Because of the number of electronic readers out there, they often choose not to. Family Interrupted, however, is available as a trade paperback. There is no difference in the physical quality of the printed book offered by an indie author vs. a large publishing company. When I hold a copy of Family Interrupted in my hands, the cover is strong, the colors are true, and the pages are formatted correctly. The book has weight and substance. It’s a real book! And it makes me smile.

Q.. This promo thing….if I really like an indie author, how can I help promote her?

A. Same as you’ve always done. Tell your friends! Use Facebook, Twitter or your telephone. Post a review on the etail sites like Amazon. Your recommendation is still the very best way to spread the word. Thanks so much for asking 🙂

Any other questions out there? Just ask and I’ll answer right here in the comments section.

LEAVE A COMMENT and your name will be entered for this month’s drawing for a fabulous package of books. Five authors from OnFireFiction have put together five stories in LOVE ME SOME COWBOY. Each is a full novel from Jean Brashear, Ginger Chambers, Day Leclaire, Barbara McMahon, and Lisa Mondello.

I’m a proud member of OnFireFiction and happy to provide this prize as well as an electronic copy of FAMILY INTERRUPTED, my recently released novel of women’s fiction. NOW AVAILABLE IN PRINT FROM CreateSpace!!!

As always, thank you so much for stopping by. I hope to see you for the next edition of Starting Over.

Linda