All About Jade

I have a new interview up today where I talk about why I write, what I've been doing lately and what I wish I could change about the Deck of Lies series. Find out what I'm reading right now, which book I love reading over and over and how I came up with the Deck of Lies.

Writing 101: eBook Codes

When you're trying to format a manuscript into an ebook, it's helpful to know some html. But there's no reason you should run right out and sign up for a programming class just to get your book out there. If you can use a few simple ebook codes, you can create a well-formatted story -- and nobody has to know that you don't really know what you're doing.

eBook Codes You Need to Know

You don't really have to learn a bunch of html to get your ebook together, because there's a limited number of codes that are actually relevant. Even if you're adding a bunch of different in-text formatting, pictures, links and other fun stuff, the ebook codes you need to use are pretty simple.

• Links. Add links to your book using the <a> tag. Many authors include a link to their personal blogs or websites in the "About the Author" section of their books, which often appears at the end. My link will look like this: Visit <a href=jadevarden.blogspot.com>Jade's blog</a> to learn more. "Jade's blog" will serve as the text for the link. That's very important! Always include the text, and use the full url for the link code.
• Formatting. Bold words will appear inside the <b> tag. For example: The headline read <b>Death!</b> in big, black letters. The <b> tag begins the bold, the </b> ends it. If you use an ebook code, you must always close it in this fashion. You may also use <strong> in place of <b>. Both codes are correct. Likewise, words in italics appear inside <i> tags. The <em> tag may also be used for italics.
• Blank lines. Want to add a blank line of text? You may only be able to do it by using ebook codes, because when you convert a word processor document into .pdf or .html, those blank lines may disappear. Use the <br> code to create a line break. This is the only ebook code you won't need to close; there is no </br> code.
• Paragraphs. All paragraphs should begin with a <p> tag, and end with a </p> tag. This will ensure that your formatting and indentations look correct in the ebook. The <p> tag automatically adds the proper indentation, and will keep your paragraphs at full justification (the only correct justification for books).
• Center. But all text can't be justified all the time. Many authors like to center their chapter headings and book titles, and why shouldn't they? Just slap a <center> tag in front of the text you want to center, and end the center justification with </center>.

Basic ebook codes help you translate what you've written into something ereaders can understand, with no loss of formatting. But going through your html is very tedious, exacting work. Use an online ebook viewer took to check and double-check each page of your ebook several times, and tweak the html as needed to be sure your formatting is perfect. If you notice any problems in the book, there's a problem with the html. Find it, fix it, and make the book perfect.

Writing 101: Helpful Online Writing Tools

Shakespeare did it with quills and candles, Mark Twain did it on a typewriter, but today's authors don't even need paper to tell their stories. We live in a modern age, and the modern writer is more Internet presence than person. Our books are online, our photos are online, our words are online -- it's only natural that we get online to do the writing, too. Use online writing tools to help you get the job done, and maybe even make it a little easier. Paper's totally overrated, anyway.

Writing Tools Online 

Going online to research isn't always easy. It's hard to find reputable sources, and it takes a long time to seek out specific information. But the Internet isn't just a source of information for writers; it can actually help you get the job done. There are lots of writing tools online that will make it much easier for you to get from the first page to the last page of your book.

• Names. In a previous post, I talked about about using certain Internet sites to find different character names -- which can be somewhat tedious. A Twitter friend shared his secret with me, and I love it: a fake name generator. Choose by gender, language and country to get a completely random, computer-generated name.
• Age calculator. I'm horrifyingly bad at math, and I don't think I would ever get it right if I didn't use an age calculator. Just type in your character's birth date, and pick any additional date you like to find out how old that character will be on that day. There are tons of age calculators online, but I prefer this one from Cornell.  
• Mapping. Google maps has proven invaluable to me. It's incredibly easy to use, and if you have any Google account (Blogger, YouTube, Gmail, etc.), you can create and save your own personalized map. I like to take my characters to real places, and when I send them off to new settings I like to know how long it's going to take them to get there. You can even use Google maps to get down to street level, and see with your own eyes what one of your settings looks like -- an amazingly powerful tool for any writer.
•  Words. Don't ever knock the thesaurus. If you're like many writers, you can pull up a site and type in a word a lot faster than you can thumb through the pages of a printed book, sorting through a bunch of different words to find just one. Too much repetition of the same words will make any book boring, and no matter how creative you think you are there are always new words to learn. A quick check on the thesaurus can infinitely improve your writing.

Da Vinci used brushes. Michelangelo used clay. Every artist has tools they use to make their creations come alive. If yours are websites, it's only because you're an artist living in the modern world -- beautifully.

1-Star Reviews? We Should All Be So Lucky

A fair amount of indie writers are at least partially obsessed with the reviews they receive for their books...if indie writer forums are any indication, anyway. Many indies have felt the staggering heartbreak of a 1-star review, of a reader blatantly saying "I hated this," that ugly sting of rejection. No one is so self-assured that they can completely shrug off all judgment all the time, certainly no writer. To be a writer is to bleed on the page -- and when a reviewer knifes you in the back, it might cut deep.

But I happen to be a fan of 1-star reviews, and I'm trying to convert other indies to my twisted way of thinking. In the spirit of embracing all of your reviews -- good and bad -- I'd like to play a game.

What's Your Favorite Book?

What's your favorite book? It crops up in forums all the time, it's an easy topic of conversation, it's something that may change with the weeks for some readers. For me, it is (and undoubtedly will always be) Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. Arguably, some of my affection for this tome could stem from the fact that I adore everything about Clark Gable (who played Rhett Butler in the movie, which I saw before I ever watched the book). But I digress.

The point is, I think Gone With the Wind is just about perfect -- the true Great American Story that so many writers long to pen. And one day, I decided to go take a look at my favorite book's reviews.

Can you see the twist coming a mile away? That's right: Gone With the Wind has 1-star reviews -- and not just a few of them. Some people hate this book so passionately, they've called Mitchell names outright. I'm talking all caps, hate-riddled, strong language, bad reviews.

It's one of the most popular books of all time, it became one of the most popular movies of all time and it's still being sold all over the place to this day. But yeah, it's got 1-star reviews that could reduce many a writer to hysterical tears.

Now, go and look up the reviews for your favorite book, and play along. The next time you get a 1-star review, remind yourself that it means you've got something in common with Margaret Mitchell. It's what I'm going to do.