Writing 101: When to Change Your Story

You've just started your new book, and you're excited. Everything is great...until you go to the movies, and you see a trailer for a plot that looks exactly the same as your new book. Being an author means you have to know when to change your story.

Simpsons Did It

I had to face a similar circumstance recently. I went back to an old project to complete it, and found that one of my characters has the same name as a character in another book series.  A much more popular book series.  And it's also a TV show. And even if I were to take a magic potion, my book isn't going to become as popular as that other book. Doesn't that mean that I have to change my story?

Writing 101: Fear of Failure

For every single indie author who takes the plunge and self-publishes a book, there are probably 5 or 6 authors who write books they don't ever publish. But it doesn't matter how many books you publish. You can always wind up struggling with a fear of failure. The real question is: can you defeat it?

Are You Afraid of the Words?

Anyone can fail at something, no matter how good they are at it ordinarily. Professional athletes, great actors and career politicians prove this to us all the time. Failure is a part of life, and we all do it. But when you're an indie author, failure feels especially frightening. What if you spend all this time working on your book, pouring your love and your sweat into it? What if you fall in love with it and you truly know how great it is? What if no one buys it? Even worse, what if everyone hates it? 

Doesn't that make you a failure? 

Writing 101: Can You Be Too Disciplined?

When you are a self-published author, you've got to be your own boss. That meas being hard on yourself, sometimes. You've got to tell yourself to get to work when that great movie is on cable, say "thanks but no thanks" to certain social outings in order to get more done, sit at the computer screen to write when you'd rather be on Twitter. But it is possible to be too hard on yourself. Can you be too disciplined?

Driven

The indie author game moves quickly. New books are published every single day, and new authors are appearing on Twitter like an ever-recycling magic trick. You've got to keep tweeting, keep blogging, keep publishing and keep staying active if you want to stay in the game. And when you also have to work a full-time job, maintain a social life, keep up some degree of a family life and still take care of yourself, you've got to be driven. You've got to stay motivated. You've got to keep working. 

Because you've got to do all this, you can start driving yourself a little too hard to get it all done. And I ought to know. You can be too disciplined. I know, because I am.

Writing 101: Just, Very and Other Empty Words

When you're in school and the teacher says you've got to write a thousand words on a topic, I'm not going to hold it against you if you fill up those two pages with empty words. But if I buy your book and you do the same thing, I'm going to get upset. And in this particular example, I'm every reader. None of us like empty words...but all writers, even me, end up using them. 

Very Merry Unwriting to You

Empty words are those words that mean nothing by themselves. Very, for example, cannot stand alone. Just, really, way and suddenly are all pretty empty, and they're all pretty over-used. When used in this context, pretty is also empty. They're empty because they don't lend anything to the story. The argument can be made that they help add emphasis, but let's not kid ourselves. There are other ways to emphasize without adding extra words. Too many of those empty words will make your book feel...well, empty.

Writing 101: Love at First Sight

Love at first sight is one of those things that's very rarely, if ever, found in life but it's found in books all the time. There's a good reason why authors make characters fall in love instantly: it takes a whole lot less time and energy to write. But love at first sight can be done well...if you're willing to take the time to do it.

The Day I Met You

Love at first sight is a common love stereotype you'll find in novels all the time. It's much easier to make characters love instantly than it is to fill up pages and pages of a relationship. Actually falling in love takes so much time and trouble, there are entire books just about falling in love. So when you have to fold a love plot into a story that's already packed with other stuff, love at first sight is an easy and attractive option.

But it can also be a lazy option. That's why you've got to put in the work to make sure it's done well. 

Writing 101: Use Current Events to Promote Your Books

How long ago did you start talking more about "Divergent" than "Twilight?" The world moves fast and things fade away quickly. Don't let it happen to your book. Use current events to your advantage by using them to promote your book. 

What's Goin' On?

Books don't have a shelf life. We know it's true because schools still assign "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," and that story is dated. But you can keep your book feeling a bit fresher if you find ways to link it to current events. Do it well, and you can keep regular sales coming in for your work.

Writing 101: Why Isn't Your Book on TV, Already?

"Game of Thrones" did it. So did "Pretty Little Liars." Don't forget about "Gossip Girl," "Perry Mason" and, yes, "Lassie" -- to name a few. There have been many successful TV series that were based on books...so how come your phone isn't ringing yet? Why isn't your book on TV? 

A Million Screens

Even back when there were just three channels on the TV, network execs couldn't figure out enough ways to fill the hours. Many television stations went off the air to show absolutely nothing during the late-night hours. Some stations still do this, but now they just show commercials. Today there are more TV channels than ever, so there's more opportunity than ever for a writer to create a story that can be turned into a TV show. Your phone should start ringing any day, now. 

Writing 101: A Day of Rest

It's Labor Day, and traditionally it's supposed to be a day of rest. Are you writing today? Do you write every day? What should you know about writing...and rest? 

No Labor Day

The first Labor Day event was a New York City parade in 1882. Union leaders wanted a "monster" labor festival on September 5, which was a Tuesday. By the end of the day, around 10,000 people had marched in the parade. The media called it a day "of the people." That's the origin of the very first Labor Day. Since then, it's become a widely-celebrated holiday in the U.S. and around the world.

So how are you celebrating it? Because there are days when you shouldn't write, despite what some others will tell you. Today may be one of those days.